Dear Family,
What's crackin', its me, Elder Molinaro, hoping to be able to actually get to send this email to all of you and not get kicked off. Coming at ya from the Family History Library today while Elder K. is getting his final interview. So glad you had fun in Cali with Grandma. Its a great state isn't it?? I have grown to love it even more. More every day since I have come to Los Angeles. I miss you guys too, and it is weird how fast time seems to go now.
What is zone goal for August? That is an excellent question, one I would love to know the answer to myself haha. We have some ideas bouncing around, but until we get transfer information, we can't really do anything because we know that our zone will get shaken up area wise and companionship wise and we are losing Elder K. and two district leaders, maybe all three, so I kinda feel like the glue that is holding Metro together right now and sometimes it makes it hard to sleep at night haha. I dream about things going wrong, or forgetting something really important. Did I mention the fact that it is stressful to have responsibility when you don't know what your doing!? haha Just trying to take it one day at a time right now. Poco a Poco.
Elder K. leaves Wednesday morning, and yesterday I had an interview with President where I found out who my new companion is and where I will be. I will be staying in Huntington Park Central, and my new companion is named Elder...oh man, I literally just forgot his name! That was weird, Elder H. I do not know anything about him other than the fact that right now he is a district leader in Westwood Zone. I have seen him twice I think, and never really had the chance to talk to him, but I have heard a few different reports from a few different missionaries. So, I will be staying and with a new companion that I will be training as a zone leader.
I am pretty excited, we have a lot of work to do-so many people that we are teaching right now that could get baptized in the month of August its crazy. Lots of potential means a lot of responsibility, but hey, if it is what the Lord wants me to do, I am down for whatever. So I will be in this area for 6 months at least, and my first area for 9...crazy! It doesn't feel like I've been in Huntington Park for 4 and a half months, but I really like being in areas for a while so I can get to know them really well and build lasting relationships with members and investigators.
I guess I will tell you whats gone on investigator by investigator, because day by day would be ridiculous. First, yesterday was such a great day. Church, which the missionaries were in charge of-I sang in sacrament meeting with the others and taught a class, attended a baptism for some other missionaries and did the missionary moment, ate with a member, then went to Elder K's departing missionary fireside. The testimonies and music were really good, but the best part was seeing my recent converts after.
The C. family is super active and goes to absolutely every activity/baptism/meeting. Brother C. is the cub scout leader, and loves his assignment, Sister C. is inviting people to church, and they do FHEs and they say family prayers, and they are all reading their Book of Mormons. Even the youngest! She ran up to me and said she was on page 9! Haha Sister I. and Sister M. are doing well, they are both primary teachers in Inglewood Second ward, and the C. family's youngest is actually in Sister I's class!
Sister I. went and did baptisms for the dead on Thursday and had an amazing spiritual experience there and absolutely loved it. Brother S. is coming to church every Sunday and bringing his wife as well. Oh man, it is just a great feeling to know they are doing well. Sister Y. too, she was there and was all smiles which is rare for her. So yesterday was suhweet!
Investigators? So Brother U. didn't get baptized the 24th, he backed out and ever since then he has been a mystery. We are praying hard for him, because he could be baptized anyday now, but he is scared to take the step and he knows it. He feels like he needs to be perfect after baptism, and his biggest fear is that after he is baptized he will say a swear word when he is with his friends. Says he wants to get more into it and make sure he is ready...which is super frustrating because Heavenly Father told him he was ready a few weeks ago!! Please keep him in your prayers. Literally any day now he will be baptized because we have taught him everything he needs to know, and quite frankly he is ready.
Brother O. and Sister A. are doing well. We have had a few really good lessons with them, including one that I had while on exchanges with Elder G.-He is the assistant right now, Elder W's old companion-about the plan of salvation tied to the atonement and baptism and the Law of Chastity. They are the Elect of God for sure, just eating it all up and really desiring the change that the gospel can and does bring. We took them to the visitors center this past week, and they loved the idea of eternal families and temples, and they have only been together for 4 months so pushing marriage is tough, but that would be ideal. That or separate houses. We are leaving it up to them for now. They missed church yesterday because something came up, but they were at the departing missionary fireside and liked it a lot too.
Sister P. dropped us about a week and a half ago, and we took it pretty hard, so this past week we went over there and talked to her and it was one of the most spiritual lessons of my mission because it was pretty much pure testimony and testifying the whole time. Her biggest issue is that she got baptized when she was 13 and she did it with her mom, so she feels like doing it again would erase what she did with her mom who is no longer living, so thats hard for her. She came to church though and that was a huge step.
We are also teaching a lady named Sister J. and her two daughters. They were an old referral that we just had the feeling we should recheck, and she said she was just thinking about us and her daughters said she should call us again, and we showed up the next day! Gotta love those spiritual promptings. She loves the idea of a true church and the Book of Mormon, and I feel really good about her and her progress quickly toward baptism.
We went to visit a less active family too, and there was a man there who just moved in that asked us to teach him something about the church, so we blasted him with the restoration and the spirit and he wants to read the Book of Mormon and keep learning more. Then ysterday at church, this member walks in with these two ladies and we recognize them as another old referral. She said that they were her friends and they want to learn. They loved church and stayed after to watch the baptism and loved it and even gave us two referrals haha.
Sorry for walking you through my whole teaching pool right now, but that is the reason I am so excited!! We have so much work to do, and I pray Elder H. is ready to roll up his sleeves and get to it. The Lord is trusting us with a lot of his children to shepherd to the truth, and I know all of these people can get baptized this next month. I just gotta keep trying to keep the pedal to the metal. Full tilt, no excuses to not baptize this month, more than one person-maybe ten. I feel like with my 4th companion coming in, I got some kind of greenie fire back or something. I am pumped. Like Sharks hockey pumped. It is gonna be so good, I am so excited! I love you all so much and wish you coulld feel how I feel right now. Peace, Joy, energy, drive, but best of all the love of my Savior. Peace be the Journey :)
Elder K. leaves Wednesday morning, and yesterday I had an interview with President where I found out who my new companion is and where I will be. I will be staying in Huntington Park Central, and my new companion is named Elder...oh man, I literally just forgot his name! That was weird, Elder H. I do not know anything about him other than the fact that right now he is a district leader in Westwood Zone. I have seen him twice I think, and never really had the chance to talk to him, but I have heard a few different reports from a few different missionaries. So, I will be staying and with a new companion that I will be training as a zone leader.
I am pretty excited, we have a lot of work to do-so many people that we are teaching right now that could get baptized in the month of August its crazy. Lots of potential means a lot of responsibility, but hey, if it is what the Lord wants me to do, I am down for whatever. So I will be in this area for 6 months at least, and my first area for 9...crazy! It doesn't feel like I've been in Huntington Park for 4 and a half months, but I really like being in areas for a while so I can get to know them really well and build lasting relationships with members and investigators.
I guess I will tell you whats gone on investigator by investigator, because day by day would be ridiculous. First, yesterday was such a great day. Church, which the missionaries were in charge of-I sang in sacrament meeting with the others and taught a class, attended a baptism for some other missionaries and did the missionary moment, ate with a member, then went to Elder K's departing missionary fireside. The testimonies and music were really good, but the best part was seeing my recent converts after.
The C. family is super active and goes to absolutely every activity/baptism/meeting. Brother C. is the cub scout leader, and loves his assignment, Sister C. is inviting people to church, and they do FHEs and they say family prayers, and they are all reading their Book of Mormons. Even the youngest! She ran up to me and said she was on page 9! Haha Sister I. and Sister M. are doing well, they are both primary teachers in Inglewood Second ward, and the C. family's youngest is actually in Sister I's class!
Sister I. went and did baptisms for the dead on Thursday and had an amazing spiritual experience there and absolutely loved it. Brother S. is coming to church every Sunday and bringing his wife as well. Oh man, it is just a great feeling to know they are doing well. Sister Y. too, she was there and was all smiles which is rare for her. So yesterday was suhweet!
Investigators? So Brother U. didn't get baptized the 24th, he backed out and ever since then he has been a mystery. We are praying hard for him, because he could be baptized anyday now, but he is scared to take the step and he knows it. He feels like he needs to be perfect after baptism, and his biggest fear is that after he is baptized he will say a swear word when he is with his friends. Says he wants to get more into it and make sure he is ready...which is super frustrating because Heavenly Father told him he was ready a few weeks ago!! Please keep him in your prayers. Literally any day now he will be baptized because we have taught him everything he needs to know, and quite frankly he is ready.
Brother O. and Sister A. are doing well. We have had a few really good lessons with them, including one that I had while on exchanges with Elder G.-He is the assistant right now, Elder W's old companion-about the plan of salvation tied to the atonement and baptism and the Law of Chastity. They are the Elect of God for sure, just eating it all up and really desiring the change that the gospel can and does bring. We took them to the visitors center this past week, and they loved the idea of eternal families and temples, and they have only been together for 4 months so pushing marriage is tough, but that would be ideal. That or separate houses. We are leaving it up to them for now. They missed church yesterday because something came up, but they were at the departing missionary fireside and liked it a lot too.
Sister P. dropped us about a week and a half ago, and we took it pretty hard, so this past week we went over there and talked to her and it was one of the most spiritual lessons of my mission because it was pretty much pure testimony and testifying the whole time. Her biggest issue is that she got baptized when she was 13 and she did it with her mom, so she feels like doing it again would erase what she did with her mom who is no longer living, so thats hard for her. She came to church though and that was a huge step.
We are also teaching a lady named Sister J. and her two daughters. They were an old referral that we just had the feeling we should recheck, and she said she was just thinking about us and her daughters said she should call us again, and we showed up the next day! Gotta love those spiritual promptings. She loves the idea of a true church and the Book of Mormon, and I feel really good about her and her progress quickly toward baptism.
We went to visit a less active family too, and there was a man there who just moved in that asked us to teach him something about the church, so we blasted him with the restoration and the spirit and he wants to read the Book of Mormon and keep learning more. Then ysterday at church, this member walks in with these two ladies and we recognize them as another old referral. She said that they were her friends and they want to learn. They loved church and stayed after to watch the baptism and loved it and even gave us two referrals haha.
Sorry for walking you through my whole teaching pool right now, but that is the reason I am so excited!! We have so much work to do, and I pray Elder H. is ready to roll up his sleeves and get to it. The Lord is trusting us with a lot of his children to shepherd to the truth, and I know all of these people can get baptized this next month. I just gotta keep trying to keep the pedal to the metal. Full tilt, no excuses to not baptize this month, more than one person-maybe ten. I feel like with my 4th companion coming in, I got some kind of greenie fire back or something. I am pumped. Like Sharks hockey pumped. It is gonna be so good, I am so excited! I love you all so much and wish you coulld feel how I feel right now. Peace, Joy, energy, drive, but best of all the love of my Savior. Peace be the Journey :)
Love,
Elder Molinaro
PS-Last p day we went to San Pedro for Elder K. to practice some song for the fireside that he sang with a few other missionaries last night, and after we went to the Korean Bell, and saw the docks of LA harbour, and these sweet basketball hoops right on a cliff overlooking Palos Verdes Estates and the ocean. We gotta go back there someday. It was so cool!!!
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