January 23, 2017 - Canejo Canyon Ward - Newbury Park Zone

#GoodbyeDrought #AndTwentyPounds....

Blech. 

I have been so sick the past three days. It hasn't been fun. Some stomach bug. It's starting to go away though! Haven't been able to keep any of the food I eat down at all. So, I haven't really eaten in the past three days either. It's fun! I have lost twenty pounds since. Well, more like 18. It's been okay though. 

This week, we actually saw a lot of miracles! We could have used some of our time more wisely, but you live and you learn! Nonetheless, Logan is SET on being baptized on the 18th! More on that later.

Yes Mom, my quilt is holding up. Some of the ironed on parts are falling off a bit, but that's only because of the amount of times I have folded it. I would suggest making the quilt a little longer though for Emerson. Did I mention that there is an Elder Emerson in our Zone now? He's from Spokane. 

So. Monday, we didn't do much. I took a nap for P-Day, and then we had an awesome dinner with the Woolley's. Really spiritual time with our dinner message as well, and both Brother and Sister Woolley used their scriptures in their talks yesterday! Then, we got some things settled for transfers the next day. 

Tuesday. Transfers went well. Nothing too exciting happened. Except for the fact that some Elders didn't leave information for the new Sister's coming into their ward. So we had to deal with that. And find them a new map. We had dinner with the Batty's that night too! 

Wednesday we got some things ready for the Zone Goal this transfer. Nothing is really changing with it, but we started making some planner inserts so that people could remember it more often. Got a call in the afternoon from Sister Mohlman, and she needed some help really quick. So, we went by to help her and she invited her neighbor to come and help too! His name is Jason, and he's a real good kid. We talked with him about the gospel a little bit, and he started reading the Book of Mormon a week or so ago. So, he agreed to having us stop by and talk with him about it a little more! Then, we went to the CVS to print some pictures, and Darren was there! We haven't been able to catch Darren home at all, and he got a new phone so we couldn't make any contact with him. But now we should be able to meet with him this week! Oh, that night I looked into UoL, and I have my application all ready to go. I just need my transcript sent to them. Any ideas? 

Thursday we did Weekly Planning, and then got a lot of things done for some planning that we needed to do. We also stopped by Logan, and had a lesson with him........AND HIS DAD. It was something else. Logan asked him to say the opening prayer, and then made the comment that he had never heard his dad pray before. Then, we had a half hour conversation with Brother Guthrie about his history with the church. It was awesome! And we also talked about Logan's baptism, and he said that him and his wife would get behind it if Logan wanted it. HUGE BLESSING. You have no idea how much we have been praying for something like this to happen. We also bore powerful testimony about the divinity of the Church and how his family needed to come and see for themselves. That they would not be an eternal family without the blessings of the temple. Very bold. But very loving. Anyone could have felt the Spirit there. We went tracting before dinner, and it was cold and rainy and just dismal. No one wanted to really talk with us, and we were ready to head in. Stopped at one last door, and there was AWESOME music going inside. I couldn't even hear myself think. But, we waited for a few minutes, break in the music, and knocked. We have been wanting to try this new finding approach, where we announce ourselves not as "missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," but, we say: "We are representatives of Jesus Christ, and He has a message for you. May we come in and share this message of peace and joy?" So. I decided to whip it out. I say the thing, with great power, and they invite us in, and we share with them the Restoration. It was AWESOME. They had jsut moved from Guatemala, and so we gave their information to the Spanish Elders. They were Luis, Tony, and Dylan. Very neat experience! We also were able to see Kathleen that night with Brother Meru, and give her a blessing. We will be seeing her tonight to teach her some more! She has so many health struggles.. It's so sad. 

Friday was District Meeting. IT WAS RAINING LIKE I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. I think I mentioned it last week, but the entire Zone is one district. So that makes things huge. President and Sister Felix even decided to come! It was a good meeting on working more effectively with the members. Huge thing that we need to get going, seeing that our Stake's goal is 96 baptisms on the year. Went tracting a bit, and yeah. 

Saturday morning. Sick to my stomach. I did not feel good, but I shrugged it off. Had great studies, and went out to work!  Had some lunch, and for some reason it killed me. I was done the rest of the day, throwing up and just not doing well. Went to a baptism for a child of record. Supposed to start at 4, and no one was there. I kid you not, we were looking at Brother Meru's watch, and at 3:59.30, about 30 people stormed the room and every seat was taken. It was something else. So, still not feeling well, and we had a dinner with a Part-Member Family. Ugh. Take one for the team. They made Pastrami sandwiches. Which isn't fair, because that's become one of my favorites. Got home, and it didn't stay down for very long. Saturday night was a rough one. Woke up every two hours or so, went to the bathroom, and went back to bed. Very uncomfortable. Oh, that day we also were graced with a visit from the Hurst's.... It was fun to see them. The Zone Leader Ward in Santa Maria is now Arroyo Grande 1st ward. So, I need to go back there! 

Sunday morning. Not feeling any better. Only went to sacrament meeting. Still had a dinner with a family that afternoon, I didn't eat very much. Half a sandwich and a bag of sunchips. And then it didn't stay down either. Tried eating a banana that night. Didn't stay down. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME. But, Sunday was a HUGE storm. Bigger than the one on Friday. It just ended a couple of hours ago. 

Well, yeah. That was my week! Things have been going well. Like I said, miracle filled week. But, we are trekking along, and I am going to drink a bottle of Pepto Bismol today! 

Sure do love you all. I have been studying a lot this week about the Book of Mormon and finding out for myself why it is so important to my testimony. And, the fact of the matter is, the Book of Mormon has revealed truths that were lost with the Bible. And, if the Holy Ghost testifies of truth, and the Book of Mormon has those plain and precious truths restored within its pages, then I believe the Holy Ghost has an easier time testifying of truth while reading the Book of Mormon! I have also studied a little bit about Charity this morning, and I wanted to share one of my favorite quotes with you:

"In your relationships with family members and others, look to the Savior as your example. Strive to love as He loves, with unfailing compassion, patience, and mercy.
As you continue to receive the Savior’s perfect love and as you demonstrate Christlike love for others, you will find that your love increases. You will experience the joy of being in the Lord’s service. The Holy Ghost will be your constant companion, guiding you in your service and in your relationships with others. You will be prepared to meet the Lord at the Judgment, when He will reward you according to your dedication to His work. " (TTTF p. 28)

Charity. So important, yet ofttimes, so overlooked. 

Love you all! 

Elder Harvey

Oh, and this week will be a fun one. We have a worldwide training broadcast, and there is going to be some big changes in how we do missionary work supposedly. So, stay tuned for that one next week! Actually, you'll probably see it in church news before Monday. President keeps telling us to buckle up.

Newbury Park Zone