From August 8

Dear Family,

 

"Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out"...now you have an idea of what I have had to remind myself this past week. It was by far the most stressful, pressure-filled week of my entire life, let alone my entire mission. I think those breathing reminders kept me sane on more than one occasion.

 

Monday was good, but it was my last day with Elder K. (he had completed his mission and was heading home). I drove him to the mission office for his final interview and ate with him and the C. family one last time.

 

Tuesday is where the madness began. So, I took Elder H. with me to the mission office to drop off Elder K. It was weird...sad...like they put you with someone for every second of the day for 4 1/2 months then in a few seconds it's "Well, hopefully I will see ya' in about a year, maybe."...I didn't like it, to say the least. I knew it was coming, but I had no idea how I would feel. I gave him a hug goodbye and there was a Sister missionary right there and after he walked away she was like "Elder Molinaro, you look really sad.".. . I'm happy for him though. He served a good two years and became one of my greatest friends. So, then Elder H. moved on and I had a great day teaching and laughing and talking to people.

 

Then we got the call with transfer info. and our Zone got hit...hard. Twelve of 13 companionships changed. There was one new Zone leader to be trained and two new District Leaders to be trained. There were also two combined areas. The thing is that this transfer is crazy because 18 Spanish speakers went home, and 10 more go home off-transfer to get back for school in time. So we lose a ton of Spanish-speaking missionaries and haven't got anyone to replenish because the mission was bilingual but switched to one language calls...but on paper Salt Lake sees all these missionaries who speak Spanish so they send pure English speakers to try to balance it out...make sense?

 

So I am figuring it all out by myself because Elder H. doesn't know the Zone, just his District. I had to figure out who needed babysitters because half the Zone is leaving and half coming in and no one can be left alone even for a second. That was a headache and a half, but we got it figured out...only to get a call from the assistants at 10:40 p.m. telling me that they forgot to tell me that a certain Elder needed to be at the mission office for an interview at 8 am...awesome time to be on the 110 and 10 freeway in Los Angeles haha. So we needed to leave at like 6:15 but the problem was that everyone was asleep when I got the call! haha I won't bore you with the details but it was a circus, to say the least. We got it figured out, but I did not sleep one wink that night. My mind was racing faster than Patrick Marleau !

We got everything squared away Wednesday. I got my new companion and we were able to work a little and brainstorm the new Zone goal...but he has no clue about the Zone because he has never served here. Thursday we went up the mission office for new Zone Leader training and had a few good lessons...I will expound on investigators later.

 

Friday we presented the thing that had us running around like chickens with our heads cut off, also known as Zone goal haha. It is called "Here Comes the Son." It is a play on words from that song about the "sun" with this Son being Jesus Christ. We're talking about how He is coming and it is our job to baptize so He can come faster, and we need to shine like sunshine. Each area gets a sheet with a sunshine and a certain number of cotton balls that are "clouds" to cover the sun. Every time the area has a member-present lesson, sets a baptismal date, or has a baptismal date come to church they get to remove a cloud, revealing the sun and making it so the Son can come faster. The promised blessing is that as each area removes all their clouds, they will have a baptism.

 

This fixes areas combining mid-month, as well as there being a sheet for each area, not just companionship so when trios are made and missionaries go home before September, they will need to work both areas to remove all the cotton balls, not just have one area focused on and one neglected. It is also because it is ridiculously hot here haha. The presentation went well, we did it with ridiculous sunglasses on. We present it in ZLC on Tuesday.

 

Saturday in the middle of ZLM, I get a call from President telling me there is more excitement, and a few emergency transfers and we need to be at the mission office to pick up a car and get it to this missionary who was going to San Pedro and we had a two hour window to do it haha...That makes it 5 out of 7 days I went to the mission office! Crazy!!!

 

As crazy as this week was, and as much pressure as I felt, the Lord blessed us, especially with Hmo. O. and Hma H. They are progressing really well, and he is off coffee and now drinking herbal tea in the morning instead. They believe in the prophet and came to church Sunday. I love them so much. We haven't been able to contact Hmo U. for almost two weeks and it breaks my heart because he is so close too, on the verge, but I feel like he is avoiding us right now. PLEASE pray for him as much as possible. Like I said before we have a lot of potential peeps, just gotta push 'em over the edge and they will all be good.

 

Time is up and I don't want the computer to eat this letter like it did the other one. I love you guys so much...wish me luck.

 

Peace be the Journey.

 

Love,

Elder Molinaro

From August 1

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 :)

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!!!

Temple P Day

Justin is in very back on the far left.

From July 25

Well. Sometimes ya lose, sometimes ya win, sometimes it rains.  Just now I lost and it rained haha I composed my email on word and the computer said I had 5 minutes left then kicked me off...Elder K. let me use three of his minutes.  I am alive and well.  Have fun in nor cal :)

Love,

Elder Molinaro

From July 18

Dear Family,

Well, it has only been a few days since my last Email, but I am so happy I get to talk to all of you again!  Your time in Colorado sounds like it is a blast.  You guys just can't hold still haha, but then again that is how we travel right?

I am loving my mission more than ever right now.  Elder K. and I are really getting along well, having a lot of fun together and working hard even with his time coming down to the wire.  It's crazy that he only has two weeks left…which means that the next transfer is in two weeks!  I swear, transfers go by like hours right now -- way too fast!  I can't believe I have been here in Los Angeles for a year on Thursday!

This week was good, with the temple of course, but then on Thursday we had a few really good lessons, one of which was with Hma. P. (the lady we were teaching fairly regularly until she stopped progressing).  She is the one who had two brothers who served missions, then they each passed away shortly after.  We were gonna have the lesson at the church because it’s a way better environment for her  to feel the Spirit than the house she is living in, but we ended up teaching in a house of a member who we are using to fellowship her.  She is big into the plan of salvation, and we explained to her that it is good to learn about the plan, but it means nothing if she isn’t willing to act on what we are teaching her.

I love using the teaching model of asking inspired questions, listening and discerning then teaching doctrine.  The Spirit just puts stuff to say in your head and it's like I receive revelation and connect the dots as I speak and piece it together for her.  It's kind of hard to explain but it is a really cool feeling.  Well, the Spirit and I were really thinking hard and then the thought came to me of how I would feel if I had passed away and was waiting in spirit world and my sister, who I loved more than anything else, had not decided to follow the truth yet.  How I would feel? What I would do?  I brought up this point to her and helped her see that missionaries have been constantly placed in her path for a reason.  I asked her what she thought Heavenly Father and her deceased brothers were trying to tell her.  It was really powerful and, without us even saying anything, she said that she would be at church next week and keep reading in the Book of Mormon.  She seemed pretty sincere, so I guess we will see. 

Friday I went on exchanges with an Elder named Elder S. in his area…the city of Watts.  It was pretty cool/crazy knocking doors in the projects and being in a place with so many of God's children who are confused and lost.  Even though that describes the world in a nutshell, Watts and south central Los Angeles has an especially high concentration haha.  Elder S. is a funny Elder who really wants to work hard, but he stresses himself out sometimes…OK, a lot of the time, but it was good to be with him to be able to learn from him and try to calm him down and help him see that everything would be OK.

We ended up finding people to teach for most of the day, but with the right mentality, tracting and street contacting can be really fun.  Kinda like everyone who walks past you is a puzzle and you have about 45 seconds to put at least a few pieces together before the "puzzle" tells you to get lost or that they are not interested.

Saturday was a great day, mostly because Elder K. told me what happened in his lesson with Hmo. U. while we were on exchanges.  They said they followed up on him praying about being baptized on the 24^th of July, and he said that when he prayed he was kneeling there and the biggest happy feeling he had ever felt came over him and he was just kneeling there, smiling.  They taught him about the Spirit and he got it and accepted baptism on the 24^th…this Sunday!!!   I was so happy!  They said that right when he accepted to be baptized he felt like there was a warm blanket wrapped all over him.  I thought that was an awesome way to describe the Spirit. 

Then, Saturday afternoon we offered to help our investigator named Hma. Z. wash dishes…and she had a mountain of them sitting in her sink.  She cooks for a living, but isn’t the greatest at cleaning so we washed up and cleaned her kitchen and she thought it was just the greatest thing.  She was laughing and screaming and inviting her family and neighbors over to watch these two white boys in ties wash dishes and do work even her own husband and sons aren’t willing to help with.  It felt good to give service.

That night we had a missionary night at the church where we taught a class to the members who came about how they can help us do missionary work by befriending investigators, offering a ride, bearing testimony, etc., and it went really well.  The Bishop shared this cool story about how his family came to know the gospel because one of his mom's friends invited their family to a family home evening with the missionaries there, and look how much he has progressed. 

Sunday morning at 7 we had stake report meeting.  A few of the high counselors, the stake president and Elder K. and I are becoming pretty good friends.  I really like them because they know how to joke and laugh.  The stake president loves Star Wars…in fact his kid's names are Anikin and Leah, not even kidding!  He is a great guy and really works hard.  It is cool to be involved in a lot of the behind-the-scenes type meetings to really see how the church is run and how it works.  . . . Hmo. U. came to church for all three hours for the first time in three years!  And a few other members brought friends to church, keeping their commitment that we left with them earlier in the week.

This week I learned about praying for ourselves.  Lots of times people think they are selfish if they pray for themselves, but Heavenly Father already knows what we need, right?  So when we don’t ask for His help to achieve it, it is like telling Him that we think we can do it alone.  It takes humility to pray for yourself! 

I love you guys so much and am so happy and so glad to be serving the Lord.

Peace be the Journey!

Love,

Elder Molinaro

From July 13

Family!

It has been 9 days since I was last able to talk to you, so there is no way I will be able to go day by day and explain, but I will do my best to relate the happenings of the past week and a half to you all.  It was actually a really good week and I know at the end of every single night as I report on my work for the day to the Lord, he is happy with my efforts.  It is really an amazing feeling to know that Heavenly Father and his son approve of a day's efforts...helps you sleep a lot better thats for sure.

Those steps are the rainbow steps in watts where all these different taggers from all these different gangs have tagged over the years, making it look completely rainbow and that other sign about the homies in the hood is quite real haha there is a little memorial thing there I guess to remember all the homies that have been killed...not in the best part of town, was kinda scared to take my camera out to snag the shot, but it turned out just fine :)  

So last Monday on the 4th of July was actually a really good day, despite the odd schedule.  It consisted of a few finding hours which was good because people were home and with family.  It also consisted of the most illegal fireworks being blown up that I have ever seen! haha it was awesome!!  Little latin kids just running around with things flaming and exploding out of their hands, one extra large firework falling over as they lit it was the highlight.  We stood up on our balcony area and watched the explosions and this one tipped over, sending a crowd of at least 30 people yelling in spanish scattering and diving out of the way as it rocketed down the street and exploded leaving a puff of smoke in its wake.  Pretty hilarious.  

Then we looked up and literally 15 feet above our complex the big fireworks were exploding, closest I have ever been to them for sure.  It was a 4th of July to never forget, definitely felt like I literally was in battle LA haha.  And, after planning we stood at the window overlooking south central and watched tons and tons of fireworks being shot off by families and friends and on my iPod played America the Beautiful really loud, and I felt such gratitude and pride to be an American.  We really are so lucky.  After going through boyscouts, I have this odd sense of patriotism I guess, I don't know, it was a sobering experience to be surrounded by people from other countries but celebrating the birth of my own.  

Tuesday was ZLC and it lived up to its expectations for sure.  President talked a lot about how our mission organization is set up in the same way as the other organizations fo the Church like it states in the white handbook, and how we are to function in the same way that other church organizations function-by delegated authority.  So president has the keys, but he delegates authority to us as Zone Leaders and gives us charge over a certain part of his stewardship.  I am not explaining it as well as he did, but it was awesome.  Helped us understand that we are in our areas and zones to bless the missionaries and people living there, and we have the delegated authority to know how to do it.  Really helped us to realize the magnitude of our assignment and the trust the Lord has in us as well as the huge responsibility it is.  

He also announced something epic...portable DVD players for every missionary apartment in the United States to watch the Preach My Gospel DVDs to help us hone our skills...so now I see Chris and hear him talk on a daily basis haha its kinda weird but cool at the same time.  He is teaching me a ton...hey Chris will you sign my PMG!?  Just kidding I know he loves when people ask him that though :)  

This past week I have gone on international exchanges which was cool.  Meaning two days out of the past week, I was on exchanges, both times in my area, once with a missionary from England named Elder T. and the other is this missionary from El Salvador named Elder H.  He is the man, I have really become good friends with him here over the last few months.  So, both days on splits went really well and I was able to learn a lot from them  and have a lot of fun.  Sometimes it is just nice to have a change of scenery...and because your comp is by you 24-7 he is part of the scenery haha.  

This week I really noticed a difference in myself.  I don't know what the catalyst was, but its like I have no barriers now.  Let me explain myself.  Like before I would talk to everyone and do all the good missionary stuff and such, but now it feels different...like the past 14 months have gotten me to this point in my personality and boldness, and understanding of the work, etc and I am going stronger than ever before.  Like momentum I guess, I can feel it coursing through me, pushing me to be better, work harder, put myself in situations that are outside my comfort zone.  Like I am on the verge of finally having become the missionary Heavenly Father has needed me to be and that right now in this area, this zone with the delegated authority that I have been given I cannot be stopped.  

No, I dont feel like I have arrived or I am all that, or I have nothing left to learn, but it is just this feeling I get when I pray about it or think about it or reflect.  It feels so good to be transforming in the hollow of his hand, letting His hands mold me into the man and missionary servant he needs.  I hope you understand, its an awesome feeling.

This week we have worked a lot with members and have gotten some pretty good referrals/people to teach, and we had 5 at church on Sunday...finally!  It felt good to watch these people I have come to love and know use their agency how God wants them to use it and come to church!  Brother O. came, and he is really progressing well, Brother U. wasn't able to make it again, but we had a really good lesson with him yesterday and I know that he will be baptized this month.   The zone has 4 on the month with 3 sundays left, so we are still hopeful and optimistic.

Like I said before, I feel the spirit working through me, coursing through my body, just waiting to be let out and testify to someone about the truthfulness of the message that I bare.  God Lives. Jesus is the Christ, this is His church, and this is His work.  I am having the time of my life battling LA and giving it everything I have got to be like Captain Moroni who is...well...the man...he and Patrick Marleau haha.  I love you guys so much and hope you are all doing well and are ready to enjoy the rest of summer. Thanks for all you guys do for me, I can definitely feel the prayers :)  Peace be the Journey

 

Love,

Elder Molinaro

From July 4

Hey Family!!

So today is the 4th, and I am emailing from an internet cafe by our apartment and it feels nothing like the fourth haha.  For example...the music is supera ranchera/mexican rap...then the song Duke of Earl came on and I thought of Dad singing it, but then it turned into a weird ranchera rap duke of earl remix english spanish CRAZY!  haha and quite entertaining if I do say so myself. 

Lately here its been pretty hot-mid 90s during the day and mid 70s at night, but the heat isn't a bad thing, summer finally came here I suppose. So our zone didn't change too much with the new boundaries, actually didn't change at all boundary wise, but I'm sure next transfer we will get a little scrambled, just trying to keep it interesting I guess.  Of course we got some new missionaries in the zone, but areas stayed the same.  

Our District leaders are stacked this transfer which makes it easier to sleep at night quite honestly.  When the district leaders know what they are doing everything runs smoothly, but when they are struggling, we feel it on our shoulders for sure.  Our Zone goal for July is SWEET!!  If I do say so myself.  It is called Battle: L.A.  Taking the name from the movie, but focused on one baptism per companionship in the month through doing a few different things.  We split the zone into battalions -districts- and talked about how we are fighting the same fight that satan started in the councils in heaven and that we are given charge over this area of the battle...L.A.  

The idea is to use our different weapons-the commandments, because that is what kills satan so to speak as people change and repent by living the commandments, they leave their old selves behind and join the ranks of our side-the side of Christ, the side of Righteousness.  So, to use our weapons we are teaching the commandments with the other lessons, or as we go through the restoration plan of salvation, and gospel of jesus christ because they are all connected, and we have found that missionaries generally save teaching the commandments for last, after the first three lessons.  This does not give them enough time to truly change and gain a testimony through experience.  

Also, teaching the commandments up front as we go helps us find out who is elect and ready to hear the gospel and who is not.  Rather than teaching someone for 3-4 weeks and then finding out they need to be married, or they are addicted to tobacco, we can find out and work with them early on and if they are ready to change, perfect, we can work with them on that as we teach the doctrine, but if they refuse, then they are not elect and we haven't wasted 4 weeks teaching someone who will not change.  

So those are our weapons, mission objective is baptism, and the target is the elect investigators.  When we presented it in District Meeting on Friday, we called the whole Zone together and did it in front of everyone and made it all intense with stuff written on the board and a sheet over it and we ripped the sheet off and there was the goal, it was pretty epic I must say.  Each district made a banner that represents them and their assigned area of duty, and we used some sweet scriptures from D&C about satan waging war against the church of the Lamb, and Michael the archangel leading his army against the adversary.  It got the blood pumping for sure.  To keep it going all month, we will all be reading Alma 43 through Helaman 3 -the war chapters to learn how this battle was fought anciently.  

Also, the month will include two debriefs or interviews with the district leaders to see how the weapons are being used and such, I'm really excited about Battle: L.A.  And the coolest part is the picture/symbol of it.  Its the picture Ashley made of Christ looking over LA-not the painted one but the other one and we edited it into sepia tones and typed Battle LA in the top right in the sky...it looks SICK!!  We printed it out and made it so it can be put in everyone's planners day to day so they see it and remember.  I am excited to present it at ZLC on Tuesday. 

Elder K's release date is the end of this transfer so August 3rd, and we are looking hard for new seekers, investigators, but it seems like none of them will come to church!  Pretty frustrating Sundays, but we kind of forecasted some weeding and disappointment while focusing on the elect.  This week consisted of a lot of planning for zone goal and presentations, and such and the only real highlight was friday night when president came out on exchanges with us for 5 hours.  We set two baptismal dates and found some new investigators, and we were able to use the teaching model pretty well, and I just love President Baker, and the opportunity I have to work with him so closely.  

He is a great teacher and inspiration and helps me to be better.  It was cool walking the streets of the ghetto with him too, kind of felt like we were with King Benjamin who labored among his people and at the same time I felt like Harry Potter going to work with Dumbledore haha I think that just came to my head because there are so many Harry Potter billboards/bus ads here, its nuts but I'm sure you're getting that in New York too.  President said that the church is spending a lot of money advertising these days and that their "I'm a Mormon" ads have already started in NYC so keep an eye out.  

Spoiler Alert!! The other day some Elders tracting in hollywood tracted into the producer of a new movie coming out called Mormon: Rise of a General and its about...well Mormon of course, but they are using the Book of Mormon as the story line and the producers are non members but evidently the screenplay and stuff is being reviewed by Elder D. Todd Christofferson to make sure it is accurate and not anti-Mormon stuff.  You guys see any of that stuff for that stupid play about us??  I have only heard about it, wondering how big it really is up there.

As far as how I am doing??  I'm doing thats for sure haha...pretty good I guess, a week like this week was kind of expected after so much success last week, just part of the roller coaster they call the mission.  I am loving being in the service of the Lord, and watching myself grow.  For example Sunday I confirmed Hermana C. in Sacrament meeting and I wasn't nervous at all.  Missionary moments started out being a stressful experience with worries about filling time and what to say, but we did another one yesterday and now I don't even get nervous, I just stand up there and talk, and it is an awesome feeling to know that a year ago I couldn't have done that in the same way.  

Or yesterday we tracted into this guy who was fairly verbally agressive and just wanted to bash doctrine but we kept our cool, confused him with his own words as he contradicted himself, gave him a card, bore testimony he couldn't argue with and headed on our way haha pretty awesome to trust in the promise that we will not be confounded before men.  

Well guys, I am so grateful to live in this wonderful country, the only country that the restoration of the priesthood and gospel could have possibly happened in.  Even though we're on opposite sides of the USA, I remember all the fun times we have had watching fireworks at the property, Disneyworld, downtown Atlanta, Philly, the lake in Fairfield, and so much more.  I love you guys so much.  Happy fourth of July.  Eat a hotdog for me and give some ooos aahhhhs and eees.  Peace be the Journey :)

 

Love,

Elder Molinaro