Monday, September 26, 2011

From September 12


Dear Family,

How is life back in the South?  Life here in Los Angeles is going really well actually...in fact the lady running this ghetto internet cafe is having a verbal war with this man and they are both trying so hard to speak english...kinda funny, actually really funny, they are pretty animated!  So transfers are this Wednesday and I have no idea what will happen...but the suspense is killing me!  Always does to tell ya the truth.  I think I will stay, but no one knows right now!  Ahhh!  This happens to me 16 times! 

This week...what happened this week? You have no idea how hard it is as a missionary to remember stuff that happens because it all runs together, but I will take you through highlights of the week and highlights of investigators.  Tuesday was ZLC and it was SO good!  President trained about the atonement and we went way deep doctrine...like so deep...I can't think of an analogy but it was intense and terrific and amazing and I have said it before and I will say it again, but President Baker is such an amazing guy.  I love just having the chance to sit and listen to him and im pretty sure he will be a Seventy one day.  

We broke down three reasons for the atonement one to overcome physical and spiritual death, two to appease the demands of justice, and three to allow ourselves to be let back into the presence of God and become like him.  We took those three points and grabbed a shovel and dug even deeper into D&C and the Book of Mormon and the Bible and I just love the atonement.  It is the reason for everything in the church and the only way to utilize it is through baptism into our church and enduring to the end.  Otherwise, everyone only uses it as it scratches the surface or they use it basically to overcome physical death and spiritual death for a brief time while they are being judged.  Pretty cool huh?  We can fully access the atonement!  

We have had some really good lessons with Brother O. and Sisters H. and R. this past week, and we went over the baptismal interview questions with them last night and they are so ready!  Ended up having a lesson where we had to stimulate the conversation about marriage or separation, and they determined they weren't ready to get married but they were ready to get baptized so they separated!  They are still dating, but not living together!!  Score one for the good guys! haha it was probably the hardest lesson to teach of my mission because we love them all so much so obviously we wanted them to get married and Sister H. said ok but Brother O. had doubts and she was balling and the spirit was strong because they were fixing their law of chastity issues, but it was tough...I felt like Doctor Phil without the corny mustache.  They should all...fingers crossed...be baptized this coming Sunday!!  After stake conference.  

Really good lesson with Brother S. about the Book of Mormon, and Sister E's kids are getting interested and she will be baptized soon as well.  We got an awesome referral for this lady named Sister M. who went to church four times in Hollywood and wants to be baptized!  Brother U. is starting to show some promise, and we had a good finding week with 10 new investigators!  Our district's record to beat this week was 36 new investigators and as a district we found 47!  Record broken!  In fact, every district broke their records for this past week!  The Metro Book of Records is really starting to take off and people are getting pumped and into it and we leave epic messages for people about who is on top, and this past week Metro did the best Metro has done in a week in the two years Metro has existed!  

The Lord is blessing us so much, and the best part is that excitement is still up b/c everyone has a new focus this next week, and in district meeting we literally broke more records!  I know that as long as I keep working with everything I have got, the Lord will continue to bless us.  I feel like I am in the prime of my mission and we are bangin' on all cylinders now :)  Love you guys, have a great week!  Peace be the Journey.


Love,
Elder Molinaro

Sunday, September 11, 2011

From September 5


Hey guys, stop wearing white!!!

No white after Labor Day right??  haha I think thats a rule??  Not really sure...anyway, that isn't gonna stop us from putting a few people into white this month!  We are excited for September to be here and are ready to rock and roll!  I guess I am kinda pumped...it could be the new zone goal, I will expound later.  

Well, this week was pretty good.  It is so hard to tell you what has happened though, because honestly it all runs together.  Like at the beginning of my mission I had plenty to write because everyday something new happened, but...that is not the case anymore...its more of the same.  Some people listen, some people don't, some people get your hopes up, and some people get your hopes down.  Some straight up lie to your face, and some send their kids to the door to tell us they aren't home...thats the worst though.  

Like the other day, this three year old comes to the door and says my mom isn't home...and we said well could you ask her when she will be home?  He said yes and ran to the back room and asked haha he came back and said she was showering!?  Its ridiculous, but estoy acostumbrado ya jaja poor kids. 

Investigator wise, Sister R. is doing well and has decided she wants to be baptized still after a really good lesson teaching about how the Holy Ghost works.  Turns out when she was happy she felt like getting baptized and when she got mad she didn't...duh haha but it was quite the battle to get that info out of her.  She is progressing well though, and I am not gonna tell you when her date to get baptized is but the Monday after it happens you will know...I think it jynxes it if I share.  

Brother O. and Sister H. are dragging their feet about the whole marriage issue.  It is kind of frustrating, but it has given me a lot of time to study marriage and stuff and the more I study, the more I realize how different it is from what the world sees it as, and how unprepared to get married anytime soon I am.  I know I still have a lot more to learn, but it is so much more than just picking someone you think you will be happy with, or even someone thats a member of the church.  It is about finding someone that will be a teamate and help you as you help them make it to the Celestial Kingdom and the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom.  No one can do it alone.  We are picking who we want to be Gods with essentially.  But, we don't exactly knock doors with that intro to the Gospel haha just something I have come to learn and understand on a whole new level.  

Tonight we have a good lesson planned for them...eh...its pretty much a throwdown ultimatum lesson.  With love and the spirit of course.  They are both super converted to the gospel, and participate at church, and buy us fruit and bread, and read and pray and are always so happy to see us and more importantly learn about the gospel.  I will keep you posted with them and you please keep them in your prayers.  

Sister E. is doing really good, super elect and prepared, and we taught her yesterday actually with her recently baptized daughter there from Long Beach which was neat.  She will be baptized, the question is when.  I swear it is tough to get on Heavenly Father's time table!  Patience is a virtue I need to work on.  I just want these people to be happy ASAP!  Is it such a crime??  

Brother U. is still MIA which is hard because he was so close, but there is nothing I can do...keep doing my part and pray I suppose.  This past week was pretty hectic with exchanges but I went on them twice with Elder M. and Elder W.  Both great Elders and district leaders, both really driven, and Elder W. gave me a quote that I loved, "What is not to be liked about missionary work? You get to ride your bike with your friend, looking for more friends, and every night is a sleepover." haha I liked that a lot.  

Honestly that sums up how I feel about my mission.  It is just so terriffic and fun and hard and awesome all at the same time that words don't really describe it.  So fun to struggle and learn and grow and stretch and see how much I can do.  I am loving every second.  So for zone goal we focused on something Elder Duncan said when he came about finding out maximums in the past as far as key indicators and make our maximums our new minimums.  It is called Metro Book of Records and talks about breaking records by district.  

Each district works to break a different record every week of the month, and the presentation was the best part because we bought actual records...you know the really big cds :) haha and we spray painted the middle gold and wrote the key indicator on one side and the number to beat on the other side and had each member of the district who was on board come up and break the "record" together, explaining that it would take all of them to beat it.  They all came up and shattered the record and everyone keeps a piece in their pocket throughout the week to remind them of their goal.  Kind of a fun play on words with breaking records.  The district that completes the highest percentage of their maximum for the week gets to all sign a full gold record (spray painted once again, but the whole thing) and it will be framed and hung in the zone leader apartment till the millineum!  haha 

Well that is my life right now, just working to rewrite the metro book of records and ZLC is tomorrow so I am pretty excited.  Love you all so much and hope you have a great day- the day school is supposed to start after...don't wear white!  Thats my investigator's job!  Peace be the Journey.


Love,
Elder Molinaro

Saturday, September 3, 2011

From August 29


Hey Family!

This week has officially been a whirlwind and one filled with ups and downs and surprises and stress to the max, and everything that just characterizes the life of the mission haha.  It is ridiculously hot here!  My eyebrows have even started to turn blonde haha the sun is shining and actually it came out this past week in our area...meaning that we removed all of our cotton balls and then some.  

This past week we had 12 member present lessons and it resulted with 7 people at church which is something we were really excited about.  This week was actually really good, despite what may come to mind after reading the title of the email.  I don't know...it just fels like we get people so so close to getting in the font, and for some reason we just can't...how would mom say it?? Finish the job! Like with Brother U. for example.  Haven't had a lesson with him in like two weeks...he was right there on the threshold!  So close!  I know its not but it just feels like  a month and a half of planning and praying and pondering wasted because he wouldn't take that step.  He came to church yesterday though.  

Sister P. is messing around with our minds haha so she is on a visit less frequently list for sure. Brother O. and Sister H. are progressing well, kind of dragging their feet, but dragging them in the right direction-towards marriage and baptism.  Brother O. is just scared of commitment it seems like, but we have had some really good lessons with them this past week and they will get baptized the question is just when!?  

That seems to be the question of my life right now. Guess I still need to work on getting on the Lord's time and stop thinking about my own.  It is a lot easier to type than it is to actually do.  Sometimes being a missionary is confusing.  They tell you to do this they tell you to do that, they tell you you're important and that without you the work of God couldn't progress then they tell you you don't matter, only your investigators.  They say set goals and push to reach them, then they say don't rush people, get on God's time...it gets confusing.  But, you just go forward, trying to figure it out, and I am thoroughly convinced that you never really do figure it out...just a constant mystery.  

We are trying to figure it out though, not just for us, but for thirty other missionaries too.  Sister R. didn't pass her baptismal interview this past friday.  She is close, but the interviewing elder said she needs to really understand how it all fits together, so that is our task for this week...at least we hope.  She pulled a stunt at church yesterday and tried to ditch the third hour of classes, but then got caught by her mom, and she left telling us that she didn't want to be baptized anymore.  I am praying so hard for her.  I think she is just trying to get attention since recently it feels like we have shifted our focus from her to her parents and helping them get married.  

I tell ya what, teaching whole families is the greatest and worst thing ever.  Good because you see them come together and morph and ridiculous because everyone requires so much individual follow up and teaching and then there are 14 year old girls that pull stunts like that haha maybe my eyebrows aren't going blonde, maybe they're turning white and gray!  

Got a sweet referral this past week from missionaries in Long Beach who have been teaching this girl and she is ready for baptism.  Turns out she got baptized in Long Beach yesterday, but her mom has been coming to church down there and listening to the lessons too and came to church in Huntington Park yesterday with her 4 kids!  Another family!!  The P. family is just the greatest.  They are a member family in my ward and I love them!  They give us so much help and the daughter, J. brought S. back to church and we taught him again. 

I don't know if you remember him, but me and Elder K. taught him a little.  It was one of the most powerful lessons of my mission, like the words that were coming out of my mouth weren't mine at all, but I testified to him that if I died this very instant I knew for certain where I would go and who I would be with.  It seemed to spark his interest and he is getting excited about learning again.  

Also found this guy talking to everyone.  He was way tatted up, sitting in his front yard in a lawn chair, smoking something illegal and we talked to him and he gave us major attitude when we asked his name, asking why we wanted to know and I just replied with this idiotic grin on my face and said well to get to know you...he started laughing and we started talking about soccer and now he is learning and progressing, and it was pretty funny.  

Almost as funny as the guy who chased us yelling at us to give him all our money or he would shoot...his "gun" was quite obviously his finger in his shirt.  I couldn't help but laugh when he demanded cash threatening us with his index finger and thumb haha I don't think that helped him calm down, but for his sake, I am glad he didn't get too close.  Well guys I've gotta run, but thanks for being great, I love you so much and know that the Lord is blessing me.  Please keep us in your prayers, we gotta come up with another zone goal this week!  Peace be the Journey :)
 
Love,
Elder Molinaro