First Week of the Last Transfer

Hello everybody!  We had a great week here in California!  Time's a ticking.  We had transfers on Tuesday, to begin my last transfer.  I got my new companion, Elder Ybarguen.  He's the man!

Things are going awesome for us here in Santa Clarita!  The weather is good, we have a baptism coming up, and things are just going well all around!  We spent a lot of time knocking this week.  We were able to find a couple new investigators, which is always good.

We were able to have lessons with out current investigators, as well.  Two in particular, Priscilla and Samira: here's a quick experience Elder Ybarguen shared in his email-

   "We had a really good lesson with Priscilla and Samira this week.  They are doing so good and they moved their baptism to May 18 (one day earlier) so that Priscilla's daughter, Sonya, a convert of about 5 years, can come!  I am so excited for them and they are so ready!  I am grateful to be part of their conversion process!  During our lesson last night, Samira (10 years old)  ripped a small fart.  She blamed it on her 26 year old sister, Sonya.  As they were arguing about who did it,Samira ripped a MASSIVE one!  Elder Martin and I were laughing so hard that we were crying and Priscilla started gagging!!!!  It was so funny!  We lost the dog during this process and Priscilla said "Where is Rosie?"  Sonya said, "She's dead."  HAHAHA  It was so funny!  They are so awesome and I am so excited for them!"

We had dinner with an awesome family in our ward, the Millers.  They are always so good to us.  Brother Miller has a reputation in the mission for giving the Elders WAY too much ice cream.  He puts it in a massive bowl and he calls it the "Miller Bowl".  It is half a carton of ice cream!  Elder Ybarguen and I both decided to give it a go, and somehow, we both got it done after eating 2 cheeseburgers each for dinner.  I was so stoked to get it done, but I almost threw up.  Good times!

We were able to have a couple people come to church, which is awesome.  I got called out of nowhere to go up and introduce myself and bear my testimony, which is chill, but it caught me off guard.  But things are going great, I love it here in the mission!

I love that I get to share this great message, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth- precious truths for us to learn and live!  I hope that all of us will do what it takes to seek out these truths, and apply them in our lives.  I know the Gospel can and will change you!

I hope you all have a great week, I love you!

Elder Martin

"Jesus smiled at, talked with, walked with, listened to, made time for, encouraged, taught,  fed & forgave.  He served family & friends, neighbors & strangers alike, & he invited acquaintances & loved ones to enjoy the rich blessings of His Gospel.  Those 'simple' acts of service & love provide a template for our ministering today."  

Jean B. Bingham

The Final Countdown...bye bye YSA

Hey everyone!  Sorry this is going to be a really short email this week!  We had a lot going on this week.  Mainly teaching- We taught a lot of lessons that all went great.  Luckily for me, I haven't been a part of any "bad" lessons lately.  The Spirit has been with us as we teach, which is crucial.  The nearer I've gotten to the end of my mission, the more I recognize how little I, as a missionary actually do.  The Lord truly does prepare the elect to receive the Gospel and it's up to us as the missionaries to be disciplined in all that we do so the Lord trusts us with his precious children.

My good friend Ramin was able to be baptized this last week as well, which is always so cool to be a part of.  I love being able to witness others come unto Christ.  I especially love their testimony they share after.  Ramin mentioned "Mormons are the nicest people- it's because they follow Jesus Christ and His Gospel."  It was simple, but powerful.  We celebrated by going to In 'n' Out  afterward.  On Sunday he was confirmed and Qaseem also received the priesthood!

We got transfer calls as well, and for my last 6 weeks, I'm being shipped out of YSA and Woodland Hills.  I'm heading BACK up to Santa Clarita to be in the Canyon Country ward with Elder Ybarguen.  (Funny side note; Elder Howell, Elder Oswald, and Elder Ybarguen all knew each other before the mission being from Idaho Falls.  I got the 3 musketeers of Idahoans in the last 4 transfers.)

I know the Gospel is true.  I've lived it.  I've seen it change my life, and the lives of others.

I love every single one of you!
Elder Martin

"If you listen for the voice of the Father, He will lead you on a course that will allow you to experience the pure love of Christ."  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I Love Being Busy, and I Love the Gospel

Hello everyone!  Another great week.  We're putting in the work here in Canoga Park.  I absolutely love the areas I'm in, and so grateful I've been in this zone for a year of my mission!

On Monday, we had a lesson with Imelda.  She has been reading the Book of Mormon everyday!  Each time we meet, she has pages of notes to show us and questions to ask!  Now that's real intent!  We were also able to meet with Jimmy and Anne again.  I mention each week how much I love them, but I can't express it, haha!  We had a dinner and a good lesson with them.  We had Persian food and ate a ton!

On Tuesday, we had a lesson with Laura and then we were able to do our weekly planning.  A little bit later on, we did an exchange with some Elders in our zone.  I was able to go with one of them in their area and help them find people to teach!  It was a good little exchange.  It's fun to go on exchanges and learn from other missionaries!

Wednesday we had a couple lessons.  It turned out good because the member we brought to one of them, turned out to live right next to our friend.  They were able to connect really well, so it was awesome!  We decided to take Jimmy and Anne out for dinner too, and we had a really good time with them!

Thursday we had a couple meetings.  We had district meeting and a stake mission meeting, which is where we meet with the stake president and the mission president and discuss the missionary work.  Afterwards, the stake president pulled us in the stake high council meeting and had us briefly talk, so that was interesting.  We were able to find a couple new investigators, as well as we knocked!  At the end of the night we were at Jersey Mike's, and the worker just asked us one question- we ended up teaching him the whole Restoration as he made our sandwiches.  Before my mission, I had a hard time sharing the Gospel period, let alone in a restaurant, to a worker with other customers.  The Gospel can and will bless everyone, that's why it is so important that we share it with everyone!

On Friday, we had a lesson with a lady named Nina, who is from China.  She is a student and just happened to walk into the institute building on Thursday, the institute director called us saying that Nina had just walked in.  We had a really good lesson and we saw her whole demeanor change.  She told us too  that "you're so different than everyone else, there is something about you!"  Later in the day we went on exchanges with the assistants and I was with Elder Hadley in Stevenson Ranch and we got to work a little bit together, and act like we were companions while we could.  That was fun.

Saturday and Sunday were both good.  We were able to meet with Ramin again on Saturday and had his interview on Sunday!  He is ready for his baptism!  Nina came to church and really enjoyed it as well!  She was so happy!  It was a good Sabbath day!

We've been really busy covering the two wards, but it sure is fun.  I love being busy, and I love the Gospel!  I'm sorry there's nothing inspirational today, but pray and you can receive inspiration!

I love you all!
Elder Martin

"Where is our faith?  Is it in a team?  Is it in a brand?  Is it in a celebrity?  Even the best teams can fail.  Celebrities can fade.  There is only One in whom you faith is always safe, and that is in the Lord Jesus Christ.  And you need to let your faith show!"  
Russell M. Nelson

Act on the First Prompting- "orange line"

Summer is in full swing here in Southern California.  We're hitting the 90's today, and boy does it feel like it!  We had a great week!

On Monday the temperature started getting hot, so we did a BBQ as a zone, so that was fun, but later on we had a lesson with Jimmy and Anne as per usual Monday night's.  They're continuing to progress and grow in the Gospel, which is cool to see first hand.

Tuesday we had a couple of lessons and weekly planning.  It was also our friend Qaseem's birthday, so we did what we could for him to have a good day.  We got him a little care package, and surprised him with it at institute- I don't think I've ever seen anyone so happy!  (Wait untul you see his smile in my photos, he's got a big smile.)

On Wednesday we had MLC.  We learned how to better use Facebook for online proselyting purposes and the app that has all the info for our areas.  It was a good meeting and got to see some good company, as well.  It's always good to see some past companions.

Later on, we had some lessons as well, with some of our friends who are progressing in the Gospel.

Thursday was an awesome day.  It was crazy.  We had district meeting and we had trainings in both districts, and sure enough, President showed up, haha.  It was all good though.  Afterwards, we had a good lesson and some obstacles came up- which is good.  It helps us know what to teach and how to help them overcome said obstacles.  We had some good knocking and then spent some time trying to get a hold of our friend who was supposed to be baptized on Saturday.  The adversary has been working on him; first he had his phone stolen on the bus, so we couldn't contact him, his family isn't too fond of us, so we can't stop by.  The only way we could contact was an app he had on an ipod, but it only works with wi-fi, so it was hard.  We needed to make sure everything for the baptism was still good, and we hadn't heard from or seen him since Tuesday, and we were getting a little worried.  We tried calling his work, having ward members call his home (so the call ID didn't show us as LDS), but neither worked.  Elder Oswald suggested we say a prayer, so we did.  Afterwards, I had a very distinct prompting.  It was simple..."orange line".  That's the line he always mentions for riding the bus.  So, like President Monson counseled, to act on the first prompting (though it was a weird one)  I drove to where I knew there were 4 bus stops on one corner.  We waited 10 minutes, and sure enough, here comes our friend running across the street.  He didn't get off the bus, but he came right where we were.  I'm so grateful for that experience that I had, to know that God truly does hear us and will ALWAYS answer our prayers.  We were able to have a good conversation with him and things worked out to where he was still able to be baptized this week!

The corner with 4 bus stops.

Friday we were able to meet with him one more time before his baptism and also hit up that Waffle Love!  We met with Andrea and Ramin as well!

Saturday was the big day!  My boy Qaseem got baptized.  He was so excited and he let everyone know it!  It was a super good service with a lot of people there.  I'm so grateful to play such a small role in the lives of these people, to help them do the things necessary to live with God again- it warms my heart so much!  I love the Gospel.

Sunday, Jimmy and Anne were able to come to church again, which is always super good.  We had to leave Woodland Hills a little early to get to YSA on time for Qaseem's confirmation.  We all felt the Spirit so much!  It was a great Sunday!  Later on, we went to another baptism and brought Ramin along, so he is familiar with what the service is like when it's his turn.  It was a great week!

We have a good week ahead of us, too.  I love this Gospel and all of you as well!

Elder Martin

"First promptings are pure inspiration from Heaven.  When they confirm or testify to us, we need to recognize them for what they are and never let them slip past."  

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Happy Easter and Conference!

Happy Easter and General Conference weekend!  Such a great weekend, and I hope it was for all of you as well.  What a great opportunity to remember Christ and all that He has done for us.  I loved what Elder Uchtdorf asked each of us:  What is the most important day in history?  It should be the day Christ suffered for each of us.  Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, it has opened so many doors for each and every one of us!  Most importantly, the ability to repent, and the guarantee that each of us will be resurrected, because of Him.  What a blessing this is in our lives!  I hope and pray that we can all take advantage of the Saviors Atonement.

We had a great week, nonetheless, but that was the icing on the cake!  We had a hot week this week, but it was all good.  We had a lesson with Jimmy and Anne, as usual on Monday night.  We were able to talk about what conference is and how we can follow the prophet today-the Spirit was so strong as we testified that President Nelson truly is a prophet of God.

Tuesday was brief.  We had weekly planning which generally takes a little bit of time, but also had a good lesson with Qaseem, who is getting baptized this week.  We got a call from President Henrie as well, asking if we could switch interviews to Wednesday, rather than when they were scheduled, so we took some time to get situated so it could happen.  So we had the interviews on Wednesday, and they went well as usual.  We went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch, so that was pretty bomb.

Thursday and Friday we spent some good time knocking on doors.  We talked to a lot of really cool people.  It was Passover, and where I am is a Jewish heavy community, so some people weren't thrilled with us.  There was a couple from Israel that invited us in though, to show us how "real" Passover was celebrated.  It was neat.  Great people.  We had a good lesson with our friend Ramin as well and had a good friend from the ward helping out.

THEN, Saturday!  Started the morning right with some McDonald's and then conference.  It was so good!  I loved having the opportunity to stand in solemn assembly and sustain President Russell M. Nelson as the Prophet and President of the church!  How great is it to have a living Prophet to lead and guide us?  He gave some good direction and council.  He even 'exhorted' us on Sunday afternoon, to reread and restudy, even multiple times, this conference.  The talks were great between the two days.  I loved how big of a focus there was on ministering.  I love the scripture in 3 Nephi 27:21.  "Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do."

Christ was the perfect example of ministering to the one.  I hope we can all do the same.  Follow His example, in ALL things.

I love you all, have a great week!
Elder Martin

"May we labor side by side with the Lord of the vineyard, giving the God and Father of us all a helping hand with his staggering task of answering prayers, providing comfort, drying tears and strengthening feeble knees.  If we'll do that, we will be more like the true disciples of Christ we are meant to be...may we love one another as He has loved us."  Jeffrey R. Holland