Elder Warren's Best Two Years: 1/19/2015 P-Day #11

Hola!!

I'm sorry if you sent me a letter in the past week and a half and I haven't responded yet! I ran out of stamps and we couldn't go to the post office last Monday but hopefully we can get some today!

Thanks Mom and Omie and Papa for the letters! I'll write back as soon as I get some stamps!

This week was really cool! On Tuesday we got to go to the Redlands Temple with our zone and the zone from Corona! Sister Budica drove all four of us over to Redlands and went through with us because there are almost no women in missionary temple trips! I'm super excited that I get to go to the temple every three months! It's such an amazing spiritual experience. I wish we could go more, but I'm super glad we get to go at all. It sounds like the Redlands Mission doesn't get to go as often as we do! After we're done at the temple, it's tradition to go to Cafe Rio afterwards! It felt like home! I really really missed Cafe Rio... haha! That night our dinner was about eight miles away from our house and we didn't have a ride because the other elders don't have a car and the family couldn't come pick us up. So we had to bike eight miles as hard as we could in the wind right after we ate Cafe Rio! It was miserable! I couldn't eat any food when we got there I was so exhausted/full! Elder Taylor and I had to stop at a park and lie down for like ten minutes after dinner cause we were about to puke!

On Thursday we had our interviews with President Mullen. I spent about fifteen minutes talking with him. He asked me about the ward I'm in, my investigators, he shared a little lesson on charity and how we can develop it, and then asked me if I had any questions. He wants us to work on a different Christlike attribute each transfer. The pattern he gave us on how we can do that was super simple: First, pick a Christlike attribute that you want to work on. Second, study it in the scriptures, what latter-day prophets have said about it, etc.., and write down what you learned. Third, evaluate your life and see how you can implement whatever you learned in your study. Fourth, pray and ask Heavenly Father for strength and guidance as you work on improving the attribute. Ask for opportunities where you can use the attribute! So I'm going to pray and find an attribute to work on next transfer!

Speaking of transfers... They're next week! We get called on Saturday (January 24) and that's when we find out what's going down. So if anyone sends me any mail this week, make sure it gets sent to the mission office and not to my house! There's a chance that I might get transferred and moved out of the area so I may not be living in Mira Loma next week! I'll probably stay in the area because Elder Taylor has been here for so long. He got here in September! I'm a little worried because I don't want another companion! I'll let you know what happens next Monday!

So after we talked with Bishop about Alfredo we tried to go and tell him the good news but he was in Los Angeles ALL WEEK!!! Nobody knew when he was coming back and he doesn't have a phone or a car... We were worried that he was out looking for work and was going to move out there! But on Friday we finally got ahold of him and told him that he could get baptized onJanuary 31. He was so excited! But that night he went back to LA with his "ex"-wife and they might be trying to work things out...? So he missed church on Sunday and we're going to have to push back his baptism date again... He's honestly so solid and has a testimony that I guess this was Heavenly Father just telling us that the 31st wasn't the right day for his baptism.

We went on exchanges again this week! I was with Elder Henderson over in Eastvale this time. I had gone with Elder Henderson on my first exchange but that was the time we had to drive all the way down to Hemet for a doctor's appointment. So it was cool to be able to actually work with him! We went over that morning to the McCammon's to help them move some huge Christmas decorations. I think I'm turning into a California boy because I was so cold that morning even though it was 65 degrees!! I thought it would take me longer to adjust but I guess not! That night, we went with the McCammons to teach the Medina family. Naomi Medina is actually Alfredo's sister!!! Isn't that crazy!? It was so cool! Two of their kids are super into everything they've been taught and it was a really spiritual lesson. The dad, Blas, doesn't speak English so Sister McCammon and Naomi translated for us!

On Sunday, we went over to Alfredo's house to see if he was home yet. He wasn't there but his sister who was baptized a few months ago, Sylvia, was over there with all of her kids. She asked us to give two of her daughters blessings because they've been really sick lately. It was really cool because there were some non members there so they got to experience that and we taught them about it! We went back that night to give Alfredo's mom, Maria, a blessing. She doesn't speak English but the spirit was so strong there! Sylvia translated a little bit after we were done and Maria was so grateful! She is seriously one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met! I'm going to be really sad if I get moved out of the area!

I love how that just by small and simple things, we can see HUGE changes in our lives and the lives of those around us. If Elder Taylor and I hadn't stopped to talk to Alfredo that one day, Naomi and her family may not have ever talked to missionaries and Alfredo's mom wouldn't have started meeting with missionaries either! Also if his other sister, Sylvia, hadn't been baptized Alfredo may not have wanted to meet with us! It's so so cool how God prepares people to receive the gospel months before they even talk to missionaries! I have a really strong testimony that Heavenly Father watches over ALL of his children and loves each and every single one of us! He's in every little detail of our lives and all He wants is for us to be able to return to Him.

Well I hope everything is going well with all of you! I love all of you so much!

Te quiero mucho!

Elder Warren