Dairy Queen :)

We had this really neat idea for Zone Conference which is Tuesday through Thursday this week.  We want to do some training on planning, goal setting and accountability.  Elder Boyce and I will be training on Planning.  Our idea was to show a live planning session and project our daily planner so that everyone could see.  Sister Felix has this Samsung tablet that comes with a pen, so it is really precise.  We took a picture of a blank planner and we could write over the top of it.  Today, after emails and studies, Elder Boyce and I drove to President's house to figure out how we could project what was on the tablet.  We had a horrible time trying to sync the tablet to President's computer so that we could project it.  We started at 11:30am and we left the Felix's home at 2:00!  Eventually, we found an alternative.  Instead of writing in our plans live, we will just type them in.

We were hungry, so we drove to the mall where we heard there was a Dairy Queen.  Dairy Queens are not common out here in Cali.  We both had gift cards.  We stopped and talked with a couple guys at the mall who had previously met with missionaries.  We got one of the guy's number and he may come to the Young Single Adult ward.

When we arrived at Dairy Queen, our cards wouldn't work.  The old Asian lady that took our order did not know English well.  She took FOREVER with our food.  We were probably waiting there for 15 minutes.  No joke and no one else was ordering.  Yes, I was impatient, but we also had a lot more to do.

We had three more errands to run after we shopped: mail a package, drop off some pants and shirts at the Goodwill, and get a car wash.  For some reason I could not make the right turns or I couldn't go the way I wanted or planned.  Oh, the care wash and vacuum were lousy.

St. Patrick's Day

I have learned that meal planning is a really good idea.  This week we made something called Aztec chicken in the crock pot.  We got this recipe from Sister Floyd (our mission secretary) after she made this dish for MLC a while ago.  The members still don't feed us much, so it's hard to get fat off of sandwiches, noodles and rice.  But we are doing some meal planning ourselves and eating better.  What kind of meals will you be planning this week?

We are getting a brand new 2016 Nissan Frontier truck tomorrow!  The truck that I drove up in SLO is getting high in miles, so the mission is selling it.  The SLO elders will get our truck and we get the
new one!

I have grown a lot spiritually, emotionally and mentally these last few months.  This assignment has been really good for me and my confidence.  Wow!  Eighteen months down.  Six months to go.  Those 6 months will be gone before I know it.  I will be sure to give all my heart, might, mind and strength to serving Christ and representing Him.

May the spirit be with you!

Scenery coming back from Santa Maria

Doors and Trainings

This week has been great.  On Tuesday, we had MLC.  Elder Boyce and I led a training on finding people and we involved many of the Sister Training Leaders and Zone Leaders.  We put a bunch of our black socks in a crate and inside of one of them we put a white sock representing a prepared person.  We had a volunteer try to find the white sock.  The missionaries seemed to like the demo.  We went on exchanges that evening.  We taught a Buddhist who thinks everything is God.  It was a good day!

We did a booth the next day at Ventura College.  We found a few people that were really interested.  That was really fun.

On Thursday or Friday night we (Elder Boyce and I) got the door slammed in our face the hardest either of us ever had!  We were trying to find a less active member.  We knocked on the door at about 7:30pm.  A big, white guy answered.  He didn't even let us get a word in before he cussed us out and called us Jehovah's.  Then he slammed the door so hard that I felt it in my face.  Yikes.  We just walked away.

Speaking of Jehovah Witnesses, we met one today at the store who wanted to bash with us.  She was an older lady riding one of those scooters.  She stared asking us questions that were meant to catch us.  She told us that we needed to study up more.  We just offered to help and then went on our way when she declined.  I haven't run into many of those people on my mission.

Tonight we met a couple who don't believe there is such a thing as true happiness.  We assured them that there is.  Their opinion made us sad for them.

Yesterday we had the weirdest door approach.  We were trying to find a less-active member of the church.  When we walked up to the house, the door was open and the TV was on.  We knocked and a lady walked up to the door.  We asked if the less active person lived there and she said, "no," and told us rudely to take this person off the list.  She then walked away and another lady answered the door. She said they were watching the Oscars and wanted us to go away.  Out of the blue, an older lady came to the door with a platter of Hostess treats (Twinkies, Ding Dongs, etc).  She gave us a treat, took a pamphlet and said good-bye all before we knew what was happening. . . Yeah.

We just had a zone activity where we learned life skills like budgeting (the missionaries have $135 to spend a month on things they need), cooking, medical help, communication, public speaking, and car maintenance. They were also taught how to maintain their vacuum cleaner and scrub the bathtub.  That was pretty fun.  Elder Boyce and I helped Elder Stewart, an older office missionary, with teaching the missionaries about what is under the hood of a car, how to change a tire, and how to jump a car.  We had three of those activities this week.  We saw all the missionaries and we loved it.  We have such a good mission.  The missionaries here really are fantastic.  We could be more bold in opening our mouths and knowing how to work with the members, but I trust our missionaries.

President has asked that we record the number of people we contact in a day. A contact is someone that we talk with on the street and we make an effort to share something with that person or get their name.  President wants us to have at least 50 contacts in a week.  The purpose is to find more people.

Car Maintenance Training

Elder Ruby showing the missionaries how to change a tire.

Elder Ruby showing how to safely use jumper cables.

I have gained a testimony of following the direction from our leaders. As we have contacted everyone we could, I have felt the Spirit direct my words more than I have before. We heard from almost all the zone leaders today that those with high contact numbers also found more new investigators. Go figure.

This transfer, I feel like I have been the best missionary I ever have been.  I have been less hard on myself.  Elder Boyce has really helped me.  I am learning to trust Christ and have confidence that I am doing His work.  That understanding has relieved a lot of unneeded stress.

 

Transfer Train

This past week (middle of February) was crazy.  We tried out our new system for transferring missionaries to different parts of the mission.  We picked up the new missionaries on Monday.  They were really solid.  I feel really good about this group.  On Tuesday, Elder Young and I woke up early (5am).  We split up.  Elder Young went south and drove a van from the south to the north parts of our mission, picking up and dropping off missionaries as he went.  I took a Zone Leader, Elder Chatterton, up north with me to Santa Maria.  I drove a 10 passenger van.  There was a Senior Elder who drove a truck and trailer for each of us.  There was traffic going up north in Santa Barbara, so that put us about 20 minutes behind schedule.  Other than starting late, we stayed on schedule really well.  Everyone was at the check points when they needed to be and it was easy to load everyone.

We finished at about 12:40pm.  We had a trainer's meeting at 1pm at the Gonzales building in Oxnard.  We set up for that and didn't have a chance to eat anything for lunch.  Elder Boyce, my new companion from Idaho, did a great job at the trainer's meeting.  We kind of threw it together short notice.  There, in the chapel, we brought the new missionaries in and introduced them to their new companions.

Wednesday was busy in the morning.  Four of the departing Elders stayed with us, so we dropped them off at the mission home Wednesday morning at 6:45am.  After saying good-bye to Elder Young and others, President Felix brought us inside.  Sister Felix made us breakfast.  We then discussed the upcoming transfer schedule.  This next transfer the new missionaries will be coming in the same day that the departing missionaries are going out.

After talking with President Felix, we drove to the mission office and fixed the phones.  It was wild.  All the office couples needed us for something.  Also, they got a new printer, so there was a guy there to install it and get all the computers to talk to it.  Elder Boyce looked like a deer in the headlights.  It was his first day as an AP.  I think he asked me if every day was like this two or three times:)  I assured him that we spend probably 80% of our time proselyting.

The rest of the week we have been "hitting the pavement."  We have been talking with everyone.  It's been so great! We haven't found any Young Single Adult potentials from our effort yet, but we have given out a few referrals to other missionaries.  So, that's cool.

Tomorrow is MLC and then we start all the craziness and busyness.  I will be going on 9 exchanges this transfer.  Elder Boyce and I will be doing a training on Chapter 9 of Preach My Gospel: Finding People.  Nothing happens in missionary work until you find someone to teach.  It's going to be great.

Zorbie Balls at a Zone Activity

Transfer Preparation and Sushi

Elder Ruby hasn't been communicating much to us lately.  I do know he spent 30 hours last week to prepare for transfers.  Here was his report before the transfers happened, so I will hopefully get a full report soon.  As you can see from the pictures, it is a very big process, especially when this mission has never done transfers like this before.  Enjoy!

Yeah, the transfer process took all week long. We finished on Friday afternoon and then called all the Zone Leaders with their zones' assignments on Saturday morning.  It turned out alright. When we talked with them this morning the zone leaders all had good reports. If everyone follows directions, it should all run smoothly tomorrow. Today we are driving up to Santa Barbara around 2:30 to pick up the new missionaries. They are so funny. They are so excited and nervous. They ask questions like "When do I get my trainer?" "Are you guys the APs?" " How long have you been out?" "What's your favorite area?" "Do you get fed a lot?" "Do you eat a lot of seafood?" "Is the traffic always this bad?"

Tomorrow morning at 6am I will be heading up to Santa Maria with a Senior Missionary: Elder Floyd. We will start at the stake center and we will pick up missionaries who are going south and

head down the mission, We will pick up and drop off as we go. I will be driving a 10 passenger van and Elder Floyd will be driving a truck and trailer for all the luggage. Elder Young will do the same with another senior missionary but he will start at the bottom of the mission and drive up.

I am excited for Elder Boyce, my new companion. He's from Rigby, Idaho and he wants to be a mountain guide in the Teton Mountains.  We also have a training meeting on Tuesday and a District leader training on Thursday. This week is going to be busy. This month will also be busy. MLC is next Tuesday. This transfer we will have two zone conferences and two MLC's. Next transfer there will be a mission tour. Elder Hamula of the Seventy will be coming!

The Finished Train

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He also gave himself a haircut.  He looks pretty good!

Elder Ruby had the "opportunity" to eat sushi.  Here's a little about his experience:)

 

These are pictures that a member took of my first time eating sushi. Yep, and the orange stuff on the top of the second one is calamari. . . It was all pretty good except for the thought that I was eating raw fish.

 

Serving During the Floods

On Wednesday, Elder Summers and I drove out to Ojai, a hippie town, to visit some less-active members.  One of them had a little land and was raising a couple of 4-H calves, a pig and a few horses.  They had a nice pig.  After that visit, we saw a Prius that was stopped.  We waited awkwardly for the lady to get out of her car so that we could offer to help.  We asked if there was something we could do to help her.  She casually said that we could help her lay sand bags in front of her place.  We were dressed in our nice clothes, so she expected that we would hesitate or say no.  When we accepted, she was super surprised and impressed.  After checking that we wouldn't charge her and we wouldn't make her go to church, she accepted.  She was worried about our clothes, but we told her that they were our work clothes.  We got her place sand-bagged really good.  She so appreciated our help.  Linda was probably 50 or 60 and not very capable of lifting the heavy bags.  She called us angels and said that she would always believe in the Mormons.  We told her to believe in Christ instead.  Her neighbor wasn't home, but he had all his bags set up in his driveway, so we decided that we would help him out and lay them down for him.  Linda helped and could hardly contain the joy that she felt.  Toward the end, it began to rain.  When we finished, it was pouring.  We didn't mind.  My cup was overflowing with joy as we ran a quarter of a mile back to the truck.  Serving others is really where we find the most joy.

Have you heard of El Nino?  Well, we got sooo much rain on Wednesday and Thursday!  There was a lot of flooding (that's why Linda needed our help).  At one intersection we saw a gray Corvette stuck in probably 2 feet of water!  The firetrucks and police were there to help get it out.  We are alright, don't worry.  We stocked up on canned food, rice, noodles, and other things just in case.

On Thursday, Elder Young, President and Sister Felix and I went through the process of a mock transfer so that we can be more prepared for this change.  It took over five hours!  President and Sister Felix took us out to eat after that.  Wow!  What a puzzle.  We found out that we will not be able to use the trains because it is too expensive and complicated.  So, we will have to be the train and drive up and down the mission picking up and dropping off missionaries as we go and meet at central points.  It will be fun, but a challenge.

Here is some advice he gave Rowen and Lily that is good for everyone.
I hope you stand for right and don't support anything that goes against your standards.  President Felix has taught us that if we question if something is wrong, then don't do it.  He also said if it's awkward or uncomfortable, then get out!  If you ever see a kid who doesn't have anyone to play with, will you please invite him or her to play with you.  It's okay if they say "no", but it helps the other kid feel better.

May the spirit be with you :)

Elder Ruby's First Transfer Experience as an AP

This post is from experiences Elder Ruby had the week after Christmas.

Today, and this last week has been stressful.  We began the week by picking up the new missionaries on Monday.  We drove up to Santa Barbara after we had finished laundry and shopped.  I used my new GPS and it was great.  The new missionaries had a lot of questions.  "Are you the APs?' "How long have you been out?" "What's your favorite area?"  "So, do you eat a lot of seafood?"  "My mom said the weather is really nice; is that true?"  "Where are we going?"  "When do I get my trainer?"  Taking them places was like trying to herd cats.  I'm sure I was never like that:)

That night, after dinner and some orientation, one of the new missionaries, came with us.  We visited a less-active person and taught her the Restoration of the Gospel.  The Elder did a great job and the less-active sister loved it!

Tuesday was transfer day.  We got everything ready for the last transfer meeting.  (I'll explain a little later)  That was a busy day.  The meeting starts at 10am.  We introduce the ZLs (Zone Leaders), STLs (Sister Training Leaders) and the new missionaries.  Then we announce who the new missionary's trainer will be.  Finally, the departing missionaries (those going home) give their "final testimony".  I really like transfer meetings.  I love to see all the missionaries that I know (which is pretty much everyone).  After transfer meeting, those who need to exchange keys or cars do so.  If everyone listens to instructions, then all goes smoothly.

On Tuesday we had a mess.  Elder Smith (I have changed his name.  If there is an Elder Smith in the mission right now, this is not about him.  Bless his heart) was assigned to white wash train in Santa Barbara.  The Elder who was supposed to give his car to Elder Smith did not drive his vehicle to transfer meeting.  Thankfully, we had an extra car to give Elder Smith.  Elder Young and I had to drive two departing Elders 30 minutes south to get the car and drive it back here.  We sent Elder Smith off.  Later that day we get a call from some sisters.  It was actually Elder Smith calling on their phone because his new phone was not activated.  After a stroke of luck, we got in contact with the church guy in Salt Lake City who activates phones and fixed that problem.  Elder Smith called us again saying that he had left his proselyting bag in Ventura.  This bag had is wallet, scriptures, journal, and camera.  Good grief!  We made some calls to have missionaries look for it at the Stake Center.  They couldn't find it.  Finally, we texted all the Zone Leaders to see if anyone had accidentally picked it up.  Thankfully, the Santa Barbara Zone Leaders had Elder Smith's bag.  Phew!  That poor Elder.  That night was wild!

On Wednesday, we said good-bye to the departing missionaries.  Hermana Huey's family came and picked her up.  That made me cry.  I'm not sure why.  They were all so happy.  President informed us that the transfer meeting we just had would be our last.  President received instruction from Elder Dallin H. Oaks (one of the Twelve Apostles) that transfer meetings distract from the work and are no longer authorized.  Now we have to figure out a system to transfer all the missionaries.  We (Elder Young and I) got permission to Face time the assistants in the Oregon Eugene Mission!  That was way cool!

They use two vehicles with a trailer.  They pick up and drop off missionaries as they travel up and down the mission.  This is a big change!  There is a good possibility that we could use a train that runs the length of the mission to transport missionaries.  We were informed that as long as a missionary is dropped off and picked up from public transportation, it is alright for he/she to ride alone.  We are doing a lot of thinking and we are trying to see how it will be possible.  Transfer planning will be even more of a puzzle because now we will have to consider temporary companions while they wait for their new companions to arrive.

Thursday we moved into a new, super nice apartment.  At the old apartment we would kill cockroaches and ants every day.  Our upstairs neighbors smoked marijuana and partied a lot.  The new place has nice neighbors, high ceilings and an indoor washer and dryer!  We love it!.  I wonder what he means by an "indoor" washer and dryer??  Moving was a hastle though.  We had 5 bunk beds, dressers, supplies, a lot of food and clutter.  We finished the move on the following Monday.  I don't know how we moved so well and quickly in Wisconsin, Seattle and Wyoming.  On Thursday, Elder Young and I drove to Santa Barbara and Camarillo to train new district leaders.  We were really impressed by them.

The rest of the week we have been back to the usual schedule.

We are all equal sons and daughters of God.  He loves us and just wants us to be happy with our family forever.   Set goals and then keep trying until you achieve them.  You can do and be anything that you and God want!

Happy 2016!!

This is the year Elder Ruby will return home!  That's a pretty cool thought:)  I apologize for not keeping you up on Elder Ruby's life lately.  Honestly, he has been so busy, he hasn't had a lot of time to communicate much with us, at least not enough to put on the blog. 

We had a wonderful visit with him on the phone on Christmas day.  We were at the ranch, so we put the phone in the middle of the table and he got to talk to Granny, Papa, Uncle Ty and all of us.  It was so joyous, but definitely not long enough.  Our 45 minutes seemed to be a fleeting moment.  He told us three really great stories/experiences.  He sounded to happy.  We enjoyed talking and laughing with him.  Our next phone call is Mother's Day, just 4 months away!

Just before Christmas, he ran into a young lady from our ward in Buffalo who is stationed in the Navy in CA.  She was attending church when he saw her!  She was headed to Buffalo for Christmas, so he was able to give her some things to deliver to us.  It was such a surprise to see her at my door with things from Hyrum.  They weren't gifts, just some things he didn't have room for in his suitcases - a few books and a beautiful ceramic plate he made, that he said I could use:)  This really is a small world, even when your son is 1000mi away in CA :)

Two days after Christmas he got to go to Santa Barbara to pick up the new missionaries from the airport.  He was pretty excited to do that.

Here are a few of his comments over the past two weeks.

This past week we had two Christmas Devotionals/Zone Conferences.  We really enjoyed getting to know the missionaries in the mission.  Elder Young and I did a presentation on our new Christlike attribute focus of patience.  We taught the missionaries about being patient with others, ourselves (that's the hardest part for me), and God's timing.  Then the Felix's spoke/gave a training on the Doctrine of Christ.  He had us go through 2 Nephi 31 in depth.  It helped me understand my purpose better.  For lunch we had stuffed chicken, funeral potatoes, steamed broccoli and pie and ice cream.  Yum!

After lunch we had some entertainment by the missionaries.  We finished the conference with President and Sister Felix teaching us about angels.  They showed a video of pictures of all the missionaries put to the song "Angels Among Us".  A member in one of the nearby stakes had recorded Elder Deem and 3 hermanas (Spanish Sisters) singing this song and then put the photos to it.  Halfway through the first time they showed it to us, it dawned on me that we are the angels.  I cried.

Sister Felix also read us a Christmas book entitled "Snow Angels".  I love that book now.  It is about two girls who call upon angels to help them do good deeds in their neighborhood.  The whole conference was a blast!  And we got the privledge of doing it twice!

President and Sister Felix gave us all a copy of the Book of Mormon and colored pencils.  By the next Zone Conference (March) they would like us to have it read and the Doctrine of Christ highlighted and angels circled!  If you don't know what to study, or how, I suggest you get a brand-new Book of Mormon and highlight/annotate it according to a topic or question.  This is something that Elder Bednar does and I am really enjoying the study of the Doctrine of Christ so far.

The phone call home was nice, but not long enough. Everyone is so happy. I loved hearing their familiar voices. It's kind of like life here on Earth. We are away from "home" for a while, but we can call home in prayer. We recognize Heavenly Father's voice and love when he answers. I miss my family, but not so much that it distracts me from the work here.

Much of our time this week was spent in the office, but we still found time to meet with Ulises and Nevin. We even found a new investigator through our own efforts.  The bishop had both the Camarillo Elders and us over for dinner last night with one of their non-member friends! One of the less-actives we are working with has said that she is done with church now. That broke my heart.