New Trainer

Sorry for the delay of this post.  When I finally got time to post Elder Ruby's letter, our internet was down at the tower.  Then, when it finally got going, Blogger had lots of trouble.  No one using that application could access their dashboard.  So, finally, this morning everything was going really good.  I hope you enjoy the pictures and letter.

We have been given a bunch of blessings to members in the ward and moving a lot of people.  Halloween went well.  We lost contact with one of our investigators because their phone got dropped in the toilet and their car got impounded.  We did stop by and made an appointment for this week on Thursday, so that is good.

Elder Peterson will be transferred to Simi Valley.  (Transfers were on Tuesday).  I am sad to see him

leave, but I look forward to a new trainer.  I have 6 more weeks of training.  I know the area, so I can take the lead in planning better.

Here is a picture of Elder Parkinson (who came out with me as a new missionary) and his trainer Elder Newmyer.  We just wanted a picture at our district meeting on Friday because we had a feeling that some of the district would be leaving. We are losing exactly half of the district members. :(

Elder Peterson, Hermana Brown, Hermana Costilla and Me

This icture also includes Hermana Jeronimo and Hermana Player with Dallin (an amazing kid who always bears his testimony) and his brother, Levi.

Here is how transfers go:  We will head to Ventura at 6am (or earlier).  It will take 3-3 1/2 hours to get there.  Transfer meeting is at 10am.  I guess I will find my new companion there.  The new missionaries will come in and be assigned trainers and the missionaries leaving will give their "dying" testimony.  Then we drive all the way beach up to Paso and get to proselyting (and we go shopping for the new companion).

So far, I am still on a bike 24/7.  I like it though.  I have sooooooooooooo much candy.  Even though I bike every day and work out in the morning, I still don't eat too much.  I am doing well.

We thought about buying super hero t-shirts and wearing them underneath our white shirts for the Halloween party, but we also didn't want to seem immature, so we just went as missionaries.

I learned this week to be myself.  I need to love people as I love myself.  Love doesn't always mean tolerate all behavior.  It means that I say things and invite others to do things for their benefit.  I am pretty hard on myself, and take it too easy on others.  That is something that I learned that I need and have seen the fruits of my doing so this past week.  I have grown closer to all those that I have been a bit more bold with and we both have grown closer to God because of it.

We got 9 hours of service this week.  We spent it at the Food Bank, moving people and setting up and taking down at the Halloween party.