Smartphones and Investigators at church!

Hola Familia Que tal?
  Well this week has been crazy for us!!!! So on Thursday we got the smartphones and had a mission conference. It was really really powerful, they talked about how we as missionaries can use these to hasten the work and develop good habits for not only right now on the mission but after as well. I was able to see hermana Lemmon there she is going to do awesome I'm super excited for her. It's also been raining like crazy too!!! which is super rare for California (you can tell because of how bad the drainage system is here, basically all roads flood so we were grateful that we were in a car). This week we also got put out of our trio on Thursday, so now its back to the original dynamic duo. Elder Nelson and I have been trying to get the good vibe up and going again but its been a little hard. So our goal for this week as a companionship is to get the good vibe tribe back again.
We got three investigators to church this week- Araceli and Dania came but the biggest miracle of all was an hermana named Lima. We thought this lady was a member, (She even told us that she was a member when we met her but it turns out she isn't!!!! she's been coming to church for 10 years and still hasn't been baptized. Elder Nelson and I got super pumped we were like..."OK all we have to do is teach her all the lessons in one week and then she can get baptized!" So I'll let you know how that goes for us next week. I think the biggest thing I've learned this week is to find joy in the work. If you don't find joy in it you're going to have the hardest time doing the work. Although its always bound to get hard you've got to look at the silver lining. Sorry this is kinda short there's a recording too this week. I hope you all are doing good Les Amo muchisimo. Remember to always find joy!!😁
Elder Gibbons

Three-some companionship

Smartphones

Mission Conference 3/22/2018

Trio, lessons learned, and miracles

HOLA!!!! de California,
  Que tal Familia? Todo lo que paso esta semana fue bien loco. Tuvimos tantas cosas que tuvimos que hacer y todovia tenemos tantas cosas para hacer. So this past week has been insane for us me and Elder Nelson have been going crazy. It all started with a call on friday saying that we were going on an emergency exchange with 2 Elders so I went there with one of the Elders and the other went with Elder Nelson (I don't wanna say names for privacy reasons). So I stayed the night there and then in the morning during daily planning we got a call from the ZL's they said that we had to be up at the mission office at 10 so we basically got showered and ready and then headed up to the office. We then got told that we were being put in a trio so one of the Elders came with us the other stayed with the AP's. So we are now in a trio and we only have 2 cars for all of the Elders in the Zone so This P-day we had to go and get all the stuff that this Elder needed to get from his apartment, then we had to toss laundry in we only have two washing machines for the whole complex we live in so that took a fat minute. Then we had to go and shop and pick up the other Elders we were assigned to pick up. From there we went to zone activity and we set up our smartphones (unfortunately we can't use them until Thursday at mission conference).
   So something that I have learned this week is that its really hard to operate/teach in a trio. And something that doesn't help is that one of the Elders had a really bad attitude about how everything was happening. When someone is negative in a companionship it really makes it hard to teach. It brings the other 2 down and then the spirit can't be present during lessons. We had to pull this Elder aside and talk to him about it because me and Elder Nelson both agreed that It would be impossible to teach a lesson worthy of the spirit. So always make sure that you try to stay positive you put out those good vibes and you support your companion(s) because if you don't it will be extremely difficult if not impossible to teach a lesson to an investigator, Then neither you nor your investigator will progress. Also this week we met our new district, We have the senior couple in our district as well as Elder Burt and Nielson and Hermana Huddleston and Giles. Hermana Giles was in SF zone with me so I'm excited to have her in our district, and Hermana Huddleston was in our last district too. Elder Nielson plays tennis too!!! I said we should play sometime for P-day. Elder Burt is Hilarious and he has got some crazy stories. So our district will be the most ROWDY district in the Zone (Thats our theme) but the definition of ROWDY is fulfilling missionary purpose but having fun while doing it.
  Our Proselyting time has been very limited this week with everything that has been going on. Unfortunately Araceli and her Family were not able to make it to church yesterday but we did have a dinner with them. We got to share a scripture about how If we seek the lord first all things that are temporary that we need will be added onto it.  They are doing really well and if we can get them to church one more time they will be ready to be baptized. We are so excited for them. Other than that we found a few new investigators this week but mostly one lessoners. A really big miracle today was that me and Elder Nelson were running low on Money to buy groceries this week and so was the other Elder. So right as we were about to check out and pay a man in who was behind us in line said, "Are you guys Elders?" and we were like, "Yes sir." then he said, "Don't worry about I got you guys." He then paid for all of our groceries. Elder Nelson looked at me and said, "Elder we didn't have enough money to buy all of that," and then the other Elder (Can't say his name) turned and said, "I was praying that we would have enough to pay for our food." We thanked the guy and then we started talking to him he said he was in the Military but wasn't a member. We tried to set up a time to come by and share our message but he said he was getting deployed that week to Hawaii. So hopefully some other missionaries can find him. So i'm basically sworn to forever hook up the Elders when I return.
  Thank you so much for the package we loved it. I hope everyone is doing alright and that you have a good week. Les Amo Muchisimo
Elder Gibbons

Quality camera work

Book of Mormon Challenge, Transfers, and Blessings

Hola Familia!! Como Estan???
  Man this week has been crazy for us. It all started on Saturday where were doing the BOM experiment from 11 to 1 then we hustled home and went to a couple of appointments and then we went right back out to do the BOME from 3 to 5:30 and then we sprinted back home got changed and went to a dinner at 6. When we got to the dinner it turns out it was the little kids birthday so it was a pretty insane party, (Lots of beer and loud Banda music and then random flashing lights ( I wish I could send the video's home, they let me choose a song to play and I chose only the best, "Vamos a la Playa"). Anyways after that we ran to our appointment at 7 and started teaching Yadira Castillo who is 14 years old and super smart. Our original plan was to teach The Gospel of Jesus Christ to her but then the mom got off early from work and walked in. We instantly turned our attention to talking with her and then Elder Nelson and I both felt inspired to share the Plan of Salvation with her. As we taught her the significance of temples and the opportunity she would have to be sealed to her family forever she started crying. Yadir asked,"Mom why are you crying, Porque estas llorando?" She said, "Because I can see my dad again." Then pretty soon I was crying and then Yadira was crying and then everyone was crying. But that is why our message is a message of happiness, this is why we share this gospel so that people can live with their famiy members forever no matter what happens on this earth. I would do anything to see the same happiness that Araceli felt again. Then right after that she accepted a baptismal date for the 14th of April.
  I was pretty sad though after we left that lesson because we were going to get transfer calls a couple minutes after the lesson. So as we are getting transfer calls we got everyone in our districts info and then finally it was us. I thought for sure one of us was going but turns out both of us are going to stay in our area!!! We were so pumped we both feel like we are supposed to baptize Yadira and her Family. We are super excited. On Thursday I had the opportunity to finish the BOM I tried out Moroni's promise for myself and at first I didn't feel like I recieved my answer but as we taught Araceli and shared with her a scripture from the BOM I Felt and know for a surety that this is the word of God, another testament of Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith did have the power and authority to translate that book. I love this Gospel and the truth that it brings to us. I know that there is plan and that If we do our best in this life to follow the example of Jesus Christ we can live with our families forever. I love you all and hope you have a good week I know that God loves each of us as his sons and daughters. Les Amo muchisimo
Elder Gibbons

Life is fragile

Hola Familia Como estan?
  I'm glad to hear that everything went well with the funeral, I feel honored to be one of the honorary Pallbearers. This week has been pretty good for us we still have two bap dates Jenny, and Bernavera. They both were miracles for us because we were having the hardest time finding people who were elect and ready to receive the message and the invitation to baptism. So Jenny is a 16 year old girl from El Salvador who is progressing amazingly she had read the introduction and the pamphlet by the time we went back to teach her again. Bernavera was a humble man with a small family who had already been to church but never met with the missionaries. We talked to him and he was super ready to receive the message he accepted a baptismal date and we are trying to meet with him again this week. The only reason we were able to find them though was because of the support and guidance God gave us.
  Since I've been out here I've noticed that life is a fragile things especially in many of the places that we are in. Places known as the ghetto or projects which are super poor and poverty ridden. Many of the kids we teach that live in there don't know if their parents or family members will come home alive due to gang activity, drugs, alcohol, and other things. But the fact that when we tell them there is life after this death and they can see their loved ones again brings so much joy into their lives. You can see it physically and feel it spiritually. We have taught people who don't have a belief in God and it still brings them peace hearing these things. But something I have gained is more of an eternal perspective. When you see life with more than just the here and now and you look beyond you can focus on the things that matter most to God in this life and therefore to us ( I think that was a quote from a general authority but I'm claiming that one).
  The work is improving everyday me and Elder Nelson are working real hard to find and set baptismal dates and we have a fun time working together. We got 4 investigators at church this week also!!! Danya, Yadira, Araceli, and one of their friends. They said that it was something different than what they were used to but they liked it. As of right now that's what we are struggling with the most and we are trying super hard to get investigators there every week but then they just give us the shaft every week. So we are still praying for and hoping that we can get more investigators at church. But other than that everything is going good transfers are coming up this next week and we know for sure that one of us is going to go. I hope everyone has a good week I love you all mucho. Les Amo muchisimo espero que peuden seguir adelante. Con amor
Elder Gibbons