Fresh Off the Plane...
My first week out in the mission field! Sorry about the delay tho, we ended up having our P-day on a Tuesday because Labor Day was yesterday. But this week has been pretty crazy!!
Right after I got off the plane I met the APs and the President and his wife, and President Thomas and his wife are so awesome!! They are like the nicest people ever and they are super spiritual and super helpful with everything. We drove to the mission office where we had some interviews and some training. Then I got to meet my comp, his name is Elder Mann, and he is a pretty cool guy! There were some families who had me take pics with him and send them to you so I hope mom already got those and sent them out. He is really different from me, but we have definitely grown so much closer over this past week.
After I met him we found out we would be white washing an area in Temecula. The French Valley Ward to be exact. A little stressful to find out I was white washing, especially since I'm a brand new missionary. But the sisters who were there before us had dinner an appointment set up for that night and we even had a lesson planned already for that night! I was freaked out to teach on my first night!! It was with a brand new investigator they had just picked up, her name is Bridgette. The dinner appointment was fine, tho Elder Mann is more quiet so it fell on me to ask questions and get to know the family and keep the conversation going, haha I think Elder Mann has been a really good trainer mostly because he is quiet and it has forced me to really take an active role in what is going on. Our first lesson with Bridgette ended up being team taught with Sisters who just got transferred out, so that they could make the transition of missionaries smoother. The lesson went awesome! We challenged her to be baptized and she said if she came to know the Book of Mormon to be true then she would! So we invited her to come to church and she said yes so we set up a church tour with her for that same Friday, that also went really well. We invited a member (Whitney Garcia) to come with us and she had some awesome things to add to what we taught her about the church and our purpose in going.
Bridgette showed up at church! It was fast and testimony meeting, and there wasn't a single break in the action, people at that ward just flock up to the pulpit to bear testimony, some of them were definitely inspired to share things that would help Bridgette. Me and Elder Mann got up and shared brief testimony and introduced ourselves to the ward. We have an appointment to teach Bridgette again tonight so I'll let you know how that goes!.
Other than Bridgette there was one other investigator we got (she was also found by the sisters), her name is Carol, she is an 82 year old black lady. We taught her the Restoration, but every time we asked her a question she would start talking about when she lived in Compton and went to her old Baptist Church, and she kept talking about her pastor Ray Jones, we are seeing her again Wednesday.
Other than that we have just been going around meeting members, less actives, checking up on potential investigators, and getting to know the ward a little better. As well as tracting and street contacting a little bit, which has proved very unfruitful. No one here seems to want to talk to us at all, we even had a girl run away from us on the street haha.
My testimony has definitely grown so much already! I love this gospel and I know the Lord has a purpose for me out here! I miss you guys so much but I know I am doing the right thing being out here!
Love,
Elder Shields
Hey Mom,
Answers to your questions: Yes, I am in a car. My comp is from Sandy and has been out about 8 months. He is really big into computer games and creating games. Our apartment is pretty awesome, has it's own washer and dryer, so no need to go to a laundromat. I can't tell you my address because California is such a popular vacation spot and they say it is just best that all physical mail go to the mission office. The mission President is awesome! All the stuff he has said to me in training and interviews has been super insightful and helpful! The interview was good, he just asked me about my goals and what my plan was to make them happen. He also talked about the focus of the mission which is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and do everything by the Spirit. He also shared the mission purpose which is "find constantly, teach repentance, and baptize converts."
Here are some airport shots:
Right after I got off the plane I met the APs and the President and his wife, and President Thomas and his wife are so awesome!! They are like the nicest people ever and they are super spiritual and super helpful with everything. We drove to the mission office where we had some interviews and some training. Then I got to meet my comp, his name is Elder Mann, and he is a pretty cool guy! There were some families who had me take pics with him and send them to you so I hope mom already got those and sent them out. He is really different from me, but we have definitely grown so much closer over this past week.
After I met him we found out we would be white washing an area in Temecula. The French Valley Ward to be exact. A little stressful to find out I was white washing, especially since I'm a brand new missionary. But the sisters who were there before us had dinner an appointment set up for that night and we even had a lesson planned already for that night! I was freaked out to teach on my first night!! It was with a brand new investigator they had just picked up, her name is Bridgette. The dinner appointment was fine, tho Elder Mann is more quiet so it fell on me to ask questions and get to know the family and keep the conversation going, haha I think Elder Mann has been a really good trainer mostly because he is quiet and it has forced me to really take an active role in what is going on. Our first lesson with Bridgette ended up being team taught with Sisters who just got transferred out, so that they could make the transition of missionaries smoother. The lesson went awesome! We challenged her to be baptized and she said if she came to know the Book of Mormon to be true then she would! So we invited her to come to church and she said yes so we set up a church tour with her for that same Friday, that also went really well. We invited a member (Whitney Garcia) to come with us and she had some awesome things to add to what we taught her about the church and our purpose in going.
Bridgette showed up at church! It was fast and testimony meeting, and there wasn't a single break in the action, people at that ward just flock up to the pulpit to bear testimony, some of them were definitely inspired to share things that would help Bridgette. Me and Elder Mann got up and shared brief testimony and introduced ourselves to the ward. We have an appointment to teach Bridgette again tonight so I'll let you know how that goes!.
Other than Bridgette there was one other investigator we got (she was also found by the sisters), her name is Carol, she is an 82 year old black lady. We taught her the Restoration, but every time we asked her a question she would start talking about when she lived in Compton and went to her old Baptist Church, and she kept talking about her pastor Ray Jones, we are seeing her again Wednesday.
Other than that we have just been going around meeting members, less actives, checking up on potential investigators, and getting to know the ward a little better. As well as tracting and street contacting a little bit, which has proved very unfruitful. No one here seems to want to talk to us at all, we even had a girl run away from us on the street haha.
My testimony has definitely grown so much already! I love this gospel and I know the Lord has a purpose for me out here! I miss you guys so much but I know I am doing the right thing being out here!
Love,
Elder Shields
Hey Mom,
Answers to your questions: Yes, I am in a car. My comp is from Sandy and has been out about 8 months. He is really big into computer games and creating games. Our apartment is pretty awesome, has it's own washer and dryer, so no need to go to a laundromat. I can't tell you my address because California is such a popular vacation spot and they say it is just best that all physical mail go to the mission office. The mission President is awesome! All the stuff he has said to me in training and interviews has been super insightful and helpful! The interview was good, he just asked me about my goals and what my plan was to make them happen. He also talked about the focus of the mission which is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and do everything by the Spirit. He also shared the mission purpose which is "find constantly, teach repentance, and baptize converts."
Here are some airport shots:
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