What...a...week!!!

Happy Memorial Day!

So, this last week was really awesome! We had a lot of cool experiences:

First, we stopped by one of our investigators this week that we hadn't seen for a while, and we were able to catch her at her apartment and set up an appointment with her for the next day! We had our appointment with her, and set up appointments for every Tuesday and Friday in the upcoming weeks. I am very excited about this because she has already expressed to us that she had been going to Church with a LDS friend where she used to live, and absolutely loves the Mormon church! And her two sons seem to really like us as it was one of them that voted for having two appointments per week (and they really like Pokemon, which just makes them even more awesome).

Second, last Monday for a district activity we tie-dyed shirts, socks, and one Elder even brought a pillowcase. It was a really fun activity, and unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of my shirts so I'll make sure to send you pictures of them next week!

Third, we had Zone Conference this last week, and it was really cool! We are starting a new "classroom teaching" program for our District Meetings that is really awesome (but more on that in a little bit). I learned a lot of cool things at zone conference, and I hope to apply them to become a better missionary! One cool thing President Kendrick shared was some of the key differences between the world world, and the gospel world. And though I don't remember most of them, I know that I'm extremely glad that I have the gospel in my life!

Fourth (and probably the coolest), a really awesome thing happened this last Sunday, but first a little background :So two Sundays ago (the 18th) Elder Mickelsen and I helped a nonmember lady unload some groceries from her car because she asked if we could help. We then set up a return appointment to come by and teach her for last Wednesday, but it didn't happen. She called us either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning and said she had to cancel on us, so we said we understood and invited her to church on Sunday (two days ago). We told her where and when it was, not really expecting that much from it because she hadn't seemed very interested in listening to our message when we first talked to her. But then after sacrament meeting on Sunday we went out into the hall and there she was! With one of the families from the ward that she had met at the meeting! Afterwards we had a good conversation with her and our ward mission leader, and she said she would let us know a good day to come by and teach her! It was really awesome to see some results from inviting someone to come unto Christ, even if it was just in a little way!

So yeah, that was pretty much my week. and as I've been writing this a scripture that came to mind that really kind of sums up what I've been feeling this week is, "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." (D&C 123:17) because even though these last few weeks have been really good, that only really happened after working the hardest I could every day, trying my best to have a good attitude.

Well, transfer calls are this weekend so next week I'll let you know what is happening!

Love,

Elder Wixom

3 Months Have Come and Gone

Well, another week has come and gone just like that. It is pretty crazy to think of how fast time flies. I mean, I've already been back out 3 months! Crazy!

So last Monday we had a zone activity where we went to one of the member's homes in the zone, ate some food, and played kickball and other sports. Unfortunately I have no pictures to send because I was too busy playing to bother taking any. But it was a lot of fun!

Obviously this last week has been a little bit exciting for all of us down here in Southern California, but don't worry, I am completely fine. I'm just hoping that all the people that were affected can be provided for until they can get back on their feet.

Elder Mickelsen and I got to go to the Relief Society Enrichment Dinner (Relief Society Birthday Party), which was an experience I didn't think I would ever have. But last Sunday the Relief Society invited us and asked us to come eat there. And then the morning of the event they asked us to help them set up tables and chairs, so we did. Sure enough, when we got there we were fed, but we ended up eating outside because we were watching for a nonmember one of the Sisters had invited, who did in fact show up! So, I'm still not sure what went on in the event itself, but it is kind of fun to say that I ate at a Relief Society event. And then afterwards we helped them take down everything with the help of a couple husbands who showed up.

Other exciting news is we have some new potential investigators that seem very promising. They were given to us by the zone leaders, who actually set a baptismal date with them. It is really exciting to see people who want to have such a desire to come unto Christ!

My spiritual thought for today is actually going to come from a hymn that I absolutely love. How Firm a Foundation, verse five. I'm not going to type it out but it seems to fit with what is going on as it talks about going through fiery trials. But despite those, our Father in Heaven uses this to refine us and make us stronger, much like a blacksmith refines metal in flames.

That's all for this week!

Love,

Elder Wixom


From The California Carlsbad Mission:

The last remaining large fire in our mission is 89% contained. The authorities suspected it would be 100% contained yesterday but its proving to be a little more difficult. However all our missionaries are back in their apartments and have returned to their normal routines.

Thanks again for your prayers on our behalf.

Mother's Day Wrap-up

Well, after talking to you all yesterday, I'm not sure how much there is to tell you, so I'll just say the fun stuff that happened this week, and if any of it is repetitive I apologize in advance.

We spent a lot of the time walking around this week, but thankfully it was relatively cool temperatures all week long. So that was really good.

Like I said in the phone call yesterday, we had a really cool experience this last week with one of our investigators. We have been teaching her for a few weeks, and the Sister missionaries had been teaching her for a few months before I had gotten into the area. And she said to us this week that she wanted to get baptized in the early part of July! It was really awesome to see her make this decision. And I look forward to working more with her and getting her ready to make this covenant.

Another cool experience we had this week involved someone that we had talked to a couple weeks ago. He stopped us on Wednesday and asked if the offer of service we had offered the first time we talked to him still applied, so we said yes, and we got to help him move some of his stuff between some storage units this last week. It was really good to help him out, and I hope that someday it will help him and his family come to the Gospel, whether or not I am around to see this happen.

Got to go on exchanges over Mother's Day with Elder Skenandore, so that was a really good experience. It was pretty funny to think that the exchange that we went on was almost the same amount of time that we served around each other before.

To end today, I just want to share one of my favorite "Mother's Day" scriptures as a kind of wrap-up for the day where we honor our Mother's more than any other day. Alma 56:47-48, "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." I'm not sure if there is anything I need to say beyond what the stripling warriors have said. I do not doubt that my mother knows it, and I know that it is because of her that I am where I am today.

Talk to you again next week!

Love,

Elder Wixom

P.S.
It was great to talk to you all yesterday! Congratulations again to Emily for her dance recital! She looks like she did awesome! And good luck to Lela! She'll do great!

I love you all! Only the watch tan picture this week!

What. A. Week!

This week has been...how can I put this...awesome!!! So many cool things have happened this week! But first, something from last week:

Last Saturday (April 26th), we as missionaries got to go and help out with the "Temecula Helping Hands" group and do a service project. We were working in a Temecula community garden, doing a lot of fun landscaping things. Quite a bit of which involved carrying and pushing wheelbarrows full of mulch. The way they filled these up was really fun (in the picture from last week you can see a visual). They lined up some wheelbarrows and then had a small tractor/scoop truck thing pick up a bunch of mulch from the pile, and then pour it into the wheelbarrows. The service project was a lot of fun and the garden was very pretty.

Now, for this week:

First, last Monday we decided to contact a referral we had received from the Spanish Sister Missionaries that work in our same area. So we go to this apartment, looking for the lady they had told us about, and there are a ton of people around! A lot of kids and their parents all in this little area playing around! We aren't sure what to do at this point, until a lady walks up to us and asks if it is her we are looking for, after getting her name we tell her yes, we were looking for her, and so we started to talk to her. Turns out she had been investigating the church when she had lived in Texas, and her and her two kids that live with her absolutely love the LDS church! So we had a good lesson with her and then left really excited about this.

Then, the next day we have a lesson with someone another pair of Elders had been teaching, and were going to pass along to us, as this person lived in our ward. So we met her (this time a teenage girl), and that went really well also! Sadly we will not be teaching her anymore, as she had some difficulties with her family (some of whom are not supportive of her decision to investigate and join the LDS church), and so now she is moving in with a friend outside of our ward, but ironically she will be back in the ward that is covered by the Elders who passed her off to us. But I personally don't care which ward she is baptized in, as long as she makes the decision to be baptized.

Then at the end of this week, another of our investigators, who has been having difficulties with coffee, told us how she is ready to give up coffee, and wants to be baptized! So even though she is not, by her own decision, ready to pick a baptismal date, it was awesome to really hear her decide she is ready for baptism!

So, in summary, this week has been really awesome for me! And it makes me think about a scripture that President Kendrick likes to share, D&C 103:36, "All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith." This week has been really great, and I have seem multiple, albeit not stupendous, but multiple miracles in the lives of those I have the opportunity to teach. But I know that it is only because I am being blessed for striving to work hard. And this applies to everyone, the only way you will gain everything, or anything, is by working hard and trusting in God.

I am so grateful for the chance I have to share what I know to be true!

Love,

Elder Wixom