WEEK 82 (CORRECT) *85

 Pretty chill P-day!  We cleaned up our apartment and then headed up to San Jose to pick up our new car from the mission office!  Apparently, our car had reached too many miles, so we had to change it out for a newer one with less miles!  After picking up our car and cleaning the old one out, we got some lunch at Chipotle and then headed to Gilroy to play some volleyball with the Zone!  After playing volleyball and talking to Elder Astle for a bit (I love that man), we headed back to Hollister to write our emails and talk to our families! After relaxing for a bit and finishing P-day up, we ended the night by having a really good lesson with Juan and Dora!  We talked about baptism and read 2 Nephi 31 with them and explained to them the importance of the doctrine of Christ and why we need to follow it!  We testified of the importance of the Atonement and choosing to follow Christ!  We extended a baptismal invite for May 18 and invited them to pray about it! They weren't 100% willing to commit to being baptized this day, but I truly believe that if we can continue to minister and teach them, they can progress and make covenants with God eventually! 

On Thursday, we began the day by planning the baptism for Diego!  We had to find the people to give the talks and perform the ordinances!  Hermano Montuy was willing to confirm while Mauricio was willing to baptize him!  We were trying to get the branch as involved as possible!  After finishing creating the pamphlets, we waited for Diego to come but he told us that we would have to reschedule because he had gotten called in at the last minute to work!  After lunch and daily contact, we went and found a couple people! After finding a couple more people, we had to clean our car for Zone Conference!  After cleaning our car, we ended the night by teaching Martha and the Lepe Martinez family about the Doctrine of Christ at the church!  Hermana Maggie was able to come and bear a really powerful testimony on how a covenant relationship with God has changed her life and the blessings that come from following the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  Me and Elder Isaacson bore powerful testimonies on how we've been blessed and changed through the Gospel and how it blesses families!  We invited her to pray about a baptismal date for May 25th (right before Elder Isaacson finishes up his mission)! She's similar to Juan and Dora's position where she isn't quite sure yet!  We are going to keep ministering and helping her out!  She's so prepared to receive the Gospel in her life!  We just have to help her get there! She truly is one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met! She tells us constantly that her house is our house and that she is our "Mom" from Jalisco haha!

On Friday, we had a Zone Conference in Salinas!  We had to wake up really early since it started at 8:00 in the morning and the drive was around 45 minutes!  It was a really good Zone Conference as well!  We learned about the Second Coming and how spiritual preparation is necessary for the coming of the Lord!  A senior missionary from the mission also gave a really good training on the things that we need to do in our youth to obtain happiness in this life and the life to come!  

After Zone Conference, we were able to go and get lunch with Connor Copeland! (my cousin)!  It was really good to see him again since it had been so long!  He has moved down to the Monterey Area so we were able to plan a time and meet in Salinas!  Connor is a really good guy!  We were able to talk about our mission experiences and the blessings/things we have learned as missionaries!  He was also able to give me some good advice while my mission was wrapping up and finishing.

After lunch with Connor, we did our daily and then had a really good lesson with Diego preparing him for his baptism!  We went over the baptismal interview questions with him again and we explained to him the commandments!  Since Diego was so prepared, we were not surprised that he was willing to keep the commandments and how he even wanted to!  After reviewing the baptismal interview questions with him, we taught about the Priesthood and how priesthood keys function/how priesthood power and authority makes the ordinances of the gospel possible!  We ended the lesson by showing him a video of the Oakland temple and promising him that we'd go after he was baptized! 

After a really good lesson with Diego, we visited Perla and Mitchell. They were doing well but they were getting their car fixed!  It was pretty cold and dark, so we didn't take up much of their time but we just invited them to church and explained to them the importance of the Sacrament!  We ended the night by contacting a couple more of our friends!

We had a pretty busy Saturday!  We started the morning by finding a couple people in the morning! After finding, we came back to make lunch!  However, when we got home, we saw that the Elders who lived with us had totally trashed the apartment!  We were pretty annoyed, but we are mature and responsible adults so instead of causing contention, we just decided to clean up for them!  The mission really does teach you a lot of patience haha!  After cleaning up, we had to contact all of our progress friends!  With daily contact, we usually try to contact in a multitude of ways!  We'll either call, send texts, Dm, etc!  The best way to get people to progress and have their lives '"flooded" with the gospel is making sure they are always surrounded by it! 

After, we had a short lesson with Diego before his baptism al interview!  He had some questions about the apostasy, so we explained to him again the importance of the restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith! After, Elder Leaune came and did Diego's baptismal interview!  His interview went really quick since he was so prepared haha!  Elder Leaune let us know how impressive Diego's prayer was haha!  Diego always gives fire prayers!  After running through the baptismal service with Diego, we had another lesson with Daniel! Hermano Montuy was able to come and help us out with him again!  We went over the restoration with him again and explained to him how the restoration was necessary!  We showed him a variety of resources and evidence of the restoration, but he still wasn't really buying!  Daniel can be pretty frustrating to deal with since he's so stuck in his ways and he's not willing to change yet he continues to meet with us!  He also refuses to read in the Book of Mormon and says he still prefers to read the Bible!  All we can do is to continue to love him and continue to teach him the truths that we know to be true!  Us and Hermano Montuy bore our testimonies on the importance of reading and praying about the Book of Mormon!  We made him promise God and us that he'd read it haha! 

After a couple more contacts, we ended the night by visiting the Lepe Martinez family with Hermano Arrington!  The kids were partying and drinking so they were pretty wasted!  While the kids were partying, drinking, and playing instruments, the boys had invited some of the buddies to come over, so we were able to talk with them as well!  They were from various parts of Mexico, and they showed us some of the culture celebrations they do!  For some reason, they dress up like the devil and dance; I didn't fully understand it/understand it still, but it was pretty interesting).  

We taught Martha about the Holy Ghost and the influence that comes from having the Holy Ghost in our lives!  We talked about how following the Gospel of Jesus Christ allows the Spirit to be let into our lives! We explained how the Spirit testifies of truth and we shared Moroni 10:6-8!  It was a really spiritual lesson, and we were able to share our testimonies with her about how the Holy Ghost has impacted our lessons! Hermano Arrrington was able to give really good insights as well!  I think we are slowly beginning to get to her!  She also really likes how we act and present ourselves!  She told us it can be hard at times seeing her kids drink and act the way they do at times!  To end the night, we get a call from Elder Astle saying he needed an interview done for a friend of theirs named Fransico as soon as possible on Sunday!  We tried planning at 4 after our baptism, but Elder Astle said it had to be earlier; so we ended up planning to do it at 7:00 A.M 😩! 

On Sunday we began the day very early by going to the church to do the baptismal interview of Fransico! The Elders drove down to our chapel to have the interview!  After the interview, we had ward correlation, and we talked about the needs and wants of the Branch!  After, we had the service, and it went pretty well!  Erika, Diego, Daniel and Eddie were all able to come to church!  Juan and Dora were sick, so they weren't able to come!  Martha sadly didn't come either for some reason!  We got a couple friends who could progress really quick if they could just come to church! After the service, we had to go and give the sacrament to a couple members of the branch who aren't able to come due to health reasons!  

After, we prepared the baptism of Diego and his service!  It went so WELL!  The talks and the ordinance went great!  He was so happy to be there, and he was thanking everyone for coming!  Meeting Diego truly was one of the, it not the biggest miracle I've experienced on my mission!  It's crazy to think some guy who came up to us from Panda Express three weeks ago would get baptized just like that!  Overall, it went really well, and I'm so happy for Diego! 

 

 

 

After cleaning up and changing, we went up to Gilory to see the baptism of Fransico!  Elder Isaacson had taught him while he was serving in Gilory, so we were able to go and support him!  He had been taking discussions from the missionaries for almost 25 months; you truly never know how long it'll take for a person investigating the church to eventually join the church!  Especially as missionaries!  All you can do is continue to love and support them!  God's timing is perfect!  

After the baptism of Fransico, Elder Isaacson was able to catch up with some of the members and families that he had taught while up there!  This cute little family from Oaxaca that Elder Isaacson had taught and baptized had the cutest little kids!  We played with them for a while as the Branch was eating post baptismal food!  We headed back to Hollister to end the night! 

On Monday, we began the day with District Council! We talked about the Atonement and the Resurrection and how it's our job as missionaries to help those around us understand the Atonement!  We also watched a couple videos that explained the Atonement in ways I had never thought of before!  After district council and lunch, we went back to the apartment and rested; Elder Isaacson had a pretty bad headache, so he stayed inside and slept for a while!  We were able to get out and do some work!  We met a really nice guy named Roberto!  We explained the Book of Mormon to him and how the Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us more puede and hope in this life!  A couple more contacts, we ended the night by visiting with Diego!  We talked about his baptism and the experience he had!  He loved it and told us he feels like he has more strength and energy after receiving the Holy Ghost!  

We began by reteaching him the story of Joseph Smith by reading through Joseph Smith History in the Pearl of Great Price!  We also showed a video of Elder Bednar explaining the restoration of the Priesthood keys!  It was a really good lesson!  We are going to help him continue to learn and grow in the gospel!  He already has such a strong testimony!  In fact, a couple hours before meeting us he was able to go out and help the Sister Missionaries teach a couple of lessons! 

On Tuesday, we got up pretty early and got to work! We tried visiting a referral that we had received in San Juan Bautista, which is about 25 minutes away from Hollister, but the address that we were given was wrong!  It took us to some huge fancy neighborhood in the middle of nowhere!  We tried knocking a couple doors, but no one was interested 🤣; after heading back to Hollister, we went and found a couple people to increase our teaching pool!  After, we had a really long lesson with Daniel!  We read Alma 42 with him and explained to him the need/process of repentance and how Jesus Christ and his Atonement allows us to be saved physically (through the Resurrection) and how the Atonement of Christ makes his doctrine possible which allows us to be saved from spiritual death: as long as we are following it!  We explained to him the importance of reading and praying about the Book of Mormon to know if it's true or not; he said that the Book of Mormon sounded similar to the Bible!  We explained how that it's the language used in the scriptures!  He also said that the Book of Mormon teaches the same things as the Bible so that it wasn't necessary for us! So, to counter his argument, we read Alma 7:5-12 with him to show him that the Book of Mormon expounds on the Atonement!  We've been trying really hard with this guy but he's so unwilling to accept what we are teaching him; He said he's still iffy on whether or not he believes in the Book of Mormon and the story of Joseph Smith!  We showed him the video of Elder Bednar explaining the restoration and restoration of the Priesthood, but Daniel was not having it; me and him went on and on about a bunch of different topics.  We ended by reading Moroni 10:3-8 with him and testifying to him that he had to read and found out for himself!  I included this detailed lesson in my email to show you guys/remind myself how much work this man is haha! All I'm going to do is continue teaching him to the best of my ability, since he still wants to learn more, and pray for him!  

After, we went and found a couple more people in a parking lot!  After, we ate with Hermana Booth and the Sister Missionaries!  While using the bathroom, some crazy lady threw away our books!  Luckily, some nice person got them out of the trash can for us!  This lady was going on and on how only idiots believe in God, etc.  She also flipped the Sister Missionaries off while they were eating!  Luckily, people came to our defense, but we just ignored them; people can be crazy haha! 

After, we had a really good lesson with Juan and Dora! Arturo was able to come and help us out!  We explained to Juan and Dora the Priesthood, and we showed them the video that we had shown Diego just a little while before!  After, I was able to give Dora a blessing of healing!  It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my mission for sure!  For some reason, i was really feeling the Spirit in this lesson (which is weird since I rarely ever feel the Spirit like that) and I just bore my testimony on the Restoration, the Plan of Salvation and how important the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to us as children of God!  I pray everyday that they'll be able to progress and be baptized!  I really wanna help Juan and Dora receive the blessings that I have received in my life; they truly are an amazing couple!  We ended the night by helping with English class!  Martha and Juan Lepez, Benji and Laura Gladys were able to come!

*I was also able to pick up a chicken this week!  Elder Copeland

 

WEEK 81 (CORRECT) *84

Wednesday was our preparation day.  It was a bit slower but still went well.  Today was temple day, but since we went to Oakland last Saturday, we decided to stay in Hollister.  We went shopping at a cute Mexican store with toys and clothes from different parts of Mexico and got some Oaxacan shirts. The workers were super nice and gave missionaries a discount.  Afterward, we visited a couple of sites.  While driving, we saw someone's van stuck in the mud.  Apparently, he had pulled over to make a call and got his car stuck. Luckily, Elder Isaacson and I had some rope, so we tied it to the back of his van and pushed him out.  It was crazy that our car had enough force, but we got him unstuck.  I'm glad we could help.  We ended the day visiting the Lepe Martinez family.  Martha was grateful that President Nordstrom (who is a dentist) helped her get her teeth cleaned.  We talked about their positive experience at church and explained how the church is organized and the importance of the Plan of Salvation.  Also, we got a message from Diego saying he wants to be baptized on April 13, which is awesome!

Thursday was pretty eventful.  We started by teaching Daniel about the Plan of Salvation, explaining the Spirit World and the time between physical death and the Resurrection.  We read from Alma 40:4-12, clarifying the difference between Spirit Paradise and Spirit Prison.  We then introduced the topic of temples and baptisms for the dead.  Daniel struggled with this concept and expressed his disbelief.  He and Hermano Montuy had a discussion, sharing scripture verses for about half an hour, while Elder Isaacson and I listened.  We concluded by sharing our testimonies on the Restoration, the Book of Mormon, and our purpose as missionaries.  Daniel has potential but needs some guidance, as he's very knowledgeable about Christianity but set in certain ways.  We need to help him understand the correct doctrine given through the Restoration.  He's interested in learning more, but it will require effort. 

After lunch, we waited for Diego at the church, but he called to reschedule for the next day because he forgot to set his alarm. After leaving the church, our attempts to contact people were unsuccessful.  We then assisted Hermana Claudia by picking up free furniture she found on Facebook Marketplace.  Later, we visited Perla and Mitchell, a nice couple found by Elder Isaacson and Elder Parry a few weeks ago.  They live in a trailer home behind a ranch.  I introduced myself and got to know them, reteaching them about the Book of Mormon and explaining the first half of the Plan of Salvation:  the premortal life, the creation, and the Fall of Adam and Eve.  We emphasized the importance of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and its connection to the Fall, using 2 Nephi 2 or Alma 42.  We finished with a great lesson with Juan and Dora at the church, with Hermana Trisha from the English Ward assisting us.  We showed them a video explaining the Plan of Salvation and God's plan for us.  We read from Alma 40, explaining the Spirit World and the Resurrection.  Sister Trisha shared her powerful testimony on the Resurrection and the Savior's power, despite the tragic loss of her four-year-old daughter in a swimming accident.  Her testimony deeply touched Juan and Dora, and they have great potential to progress on the covenant path. We ended the night with dinner.

On Friday, we had a meaningful discussion with Diego about the Restoration. He loved the story of Joseph Smith and his calling as a Prophet, and he felt the spirit while learning about the Restoration. He has a sincere desire to follow the Savior and make a covenant with God. After a few more contacts, we helped the Montuys by taking down shelves and moving them to the second floor of their barn. It took a good part of the day, but it was worth it. I always enjoy serving the members. Afterward, we visited some less-active members, assuring them of our support and care from us and the Branch, offering prayers and service. I've learned that criticizing inactive members doesn't work; showing genuine care and love is key to helping them return to the covenant path. We concluded the night by teaching a family from Oaxaca. The mother didn't understand any Spanish and laughed because she couldn't understand me. Dialects are crazy! Her daughter was nice, and Elder Isaacson spoke with Juventino about the Book of Mormon and the Restoration.

On Saturday, we watched General Conference.  I really enjoyed the first two sessions, especially Elder Anderson's talk.  After the morning and afternoon sessions, we did some contacting in Little Mexico, talking to our friends.  We tried to talk to Lauze, who the Elders had spoken with before, but he was busy with his phone.  His house looked like it was straight out of Mexico.  He was a nice guy but not too interested.  Then, we talked to Cesar, who had spoken with missionaries before.  We explained our church services and the importance of the Atonement, had him read Mosiah 3, and explained how the Book of Mormon clarifies the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Afterward, we visited Javier and Veronica.  Javier was tending his sheep, so we walked with him while Veronica rested.  We explained General Conference and the importance of a living prophet and 12 Apostles.  Later, we met with Diego at the chapel, read 2 Nephi 31 with him, and explained the doctrine of Christ: faith, repentance, and the covenant relationship entered into at baptism.  We explained the need to be sanctified by the Holy Ghost and the blessings received.  We watched the evening session of Conference with Diego, who enjoyed it.  I liked Elder Uchtdorf's talk about making church a welcoming place for everyone.  We ended the night contacting some friends.

Sunday was quite eventful.  Our Branch was hosting a watch party for the first session of Conference, but we got a call from the Spanish sisters who had locked their keys inside their apartment.  We tried to open their window for about 30 minutes, but it wouldn't budge.  Eventually, we tried lifting it off, and we were close, but we pushed too hard and shattered the whole window.  Glass was everywhere.  Luckily, neither Elder Isaacson nor I were hit, but my jacket got a rip.  I'm grateful I was wearing it.  The sisters were shocked, but we laughed it off.  We called the housing coordinator, who told us not to worry about it and that he'd get a replacement. 

After helping the sisters clean up the glass, we headed to the chapel to watch the morning session of Conference.  Our friends Daniel, Erika, and Laura Gladys were able to come and enjoyed the session.  I appreciated President's talk about discerning truth from error and using our agency correctly, something we can all improve on.  After the session, Hermano Montuy and Daniel discussed the Resurrection and the story of Lazarus.  I bore my testimony on reading and praying about the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of our church's doctrine.  Daniel has potential but needs to be more open to understanding our teachings.  We watched the second session of Conference at our apartment.  All the talks were great, especially President Nelson's.  For being a hundred years old, he looked really good.  I loved his emphasis on virtue and charity and striving to be peacemakers.  Contention truly is of the devil and causes more problems than it solves.  I'm excited to reread the talks and study them in detail. 

After eating with the Starkweathers, we visited Benji, who we found through a referral on Facebook.  He lived far out in a migration camp used during picking season.  He and some buddies were still living there.  We taught him about faith, read Alma 32:21, and explained the Book of Mormon and its history. He seemed interested, so we'll visit him again.  He's also interested in English Class.

On Monday, we started with District Council, where we discussed our learnings and favorite talks from the recent Conference, emphasizing the significance and blessings of making sacrifices.  After lunch, we had a productive lesson with Diego, focusing on preparing him for his upcoming baptism.  We clarified the Gift of the Holy Ghost, distinguishing it from the general influence of the Spirit, and stressed the importance of enduring to the end.  We also read from 3 Nephi 11, explaining the covenant relationship established through baptism and the reciprocal blessings.  To supplement our teaching, we shared President Nelson's talk and a conversion story from a former pastor.  Later, we spoke with Marcos about the Restoration and Joseph Smith's story, bearing our testimonies on the importance of conversation and the power of the Book of Mormon.  We also taught Evangelica, and despite her initial disinterest, we shared insights from the Book of Mormon. 

The day concluded with dinner and a lesson with Hermana Kratzer and Laura Gladys, where we discussed the doctrine of the soul, our premortal existence, the Creation, the Fall of Adam and Eve, our purpose on Earth, and the saving power of Christ's Atonement.

Tuesday began with teaching Erika about the Plan of Salvation, with Hermana Kratzer assisting in explaining the Spirit World, Resurrection, Judgment, and the Kingdoms of Glory.  Erika shared personal spiritual experiences, which was very touching.  Another lesson with Diego followed, where we covered the Spirit World, Resurrection, Kingdoms of Glory, and the path to the Celestial Kingdom.  Diego's growing faith is truly inspiring.  We then taught Daniel, using the "que es el libro de mormon" video to highlight the importance of the Book of Mormon.  We read from 3 Nephi 11 and clarified details about Jesus Christ's life, emphasizing the complementary roles of the Book of Mormon and the Bible.  We shared scriptures like Helaman 5:12, Moroni 7:27-31, and Moroni 10:20-24, focusing on faith, miracles, and the Book of Mormon's teachings.  Although Daniel seeks to understand the Book of Mormon better, we encouraged him to read and pray for a testimony. 

Following this, we revisited Javier and Veronice, reinforcing the importance of acting on faith.  We shared a convert testimony video to illustrate how the gospel transforms lives.  After visiting their farm, we assisted with an English class at the church.  Later, at a store, we felt inspired to speak with a Columbian couple who expressed interest in learning more about our church and the Book of Mormon.  During this discussion, a man named Erica, who studies Christianity and has authored books, asked to observe.  We explained the Atonement, Resurrection, and the unique aspects of our church.  His interest led to exchanging contact information. It was a good way to end the night!        Elder Copeland

WEEK 80 (CORRECT) *83

 On preparation day, Elder Isaacson and I were able to call our families!  We also headed up to Gilroy to hit some golf balls at this makeshift range set up over an old field.  It even had a dinosaur in the middle of it 🤣! It was awesome, though!  Some pretty Republican folks ran it, so they had Fox News playing and everything.  It was so American; I loved it!  After hitting golf balls (we brought some old clubs from our apartment!)  I was able to swing the ball pretty well considering how long I've been out here!  

Afterwards, we stopped by some stores to buy a couple of things. I got some pants at Lululemon, and Elder Isaacson got himself some jeans at Boot Barn!  Afterward, we went to Ross, where I found a pair of Doc Martens in my size for only $50!  They usually cost $150.  After shopping, we visited the Lepe Martinez family and taught them the first half of the Plan of Salvation. They have YouTube TV, so we showed them a video that the Church produced!  We ended by reading in 2 Nephi 2 to help them understand the Fall of Adam and Eve.

On Thursday, we finished daily/weekly planning and went over to Little Mexico to teach our friends Jesus and Salvador!  While teaching, Jesus basically cut me off and told me that he already knew what we were teaching him and just slammed the door on us!  I was pretty disappointed because I thought he was gonna be pretty cool!  After a couple more contacts, we had another good lesson with our boy Salvador!  We talked about the Atonement and the importance of using it to repent, change, and become better through Jesus Christ!  We explained the importance of the Holy Ghost and what it was.  We read from Moroni 8:33 and explained what the Holy Ghost does/allows us to feel! We read from Mosiah 3:5-13 and explained the Atonement in more detail!  We shared our testimonies and invited him to continue reading in the Book of Mormon!  He said he had read a little!  We gave him a Plan of Salvation pamphlet to read.  He's recovering from a stroke, so he is still healing.  We said a prayer with him and ended by planning another appointment! 

After Salvador, we tried visiting a couple of other people, but no one was home!  We then went through our Preach My Gospel (PMG) manual and divided/organized our member dots into active, non-active, and those who don't live here anymore!  To my surprise, the majority of the blue dots we have are active members or have moved!  There is only a small minority of the dots that are inactive!  Now we know who we need to go visit!  Afterward, we had another really good lesson with Daniel!  We went over the Restoration and talked about the importance of God and His nature, the importance of prophets and the Priesthood!  We talked about the prophets of old and shared examples from the scriptures!  We also went over the establishment of Christ's church and the Apostasy and the Restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith!  We showed him the "Ask of God" video and bore our testimonies on the Restoration and its truthfulness!  We didn't cover the Book of Mormon or the Priesthood fully, but we invited him to read the Book of Mormon and the pamphlet, meet with us Saturday, and come to church!  Brother Montuy helped us a lot and bore powerful testimonies and shared/taught as well!  

Afterwards, we had a really good lesson with Juan and Dora!  Arturo and his wife were able to come and share insight!  They shared their conversion story and how the church has blessed them in their lives!  We talked about how none of the church leaders receive payment for their service, how our church is very family-oriented and allows others to have a home/support system, and we talked about the importance of service and how our Church serves and helps members!  We explained the Holy Ghost to them and how we need to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost to receive its constant companionship!  We briefly went over the doctrine of Christ and how the Atonement of Jesus Christ makes it possible!  We bore our testimonies on the importance of following Jesus Christ to receive blessings!  We invited them to meet with us on Tuesday, come to church, and read and pray!  Afterwards, Elder Isaacson had to do an interview for the English Elders' friend!  It wasn't really their friend (a member of the English Ward was remarried, and his new wife wanted to learn from the missionaries, so the Elders taught her, lol).  She passed the interview fairly easily!  To end the night, we played volleyball with the Lepe Martinez Family!

On Friday, we began the day by helping Hermano Montuy out with a service project!  He needed help moving an old toolbox that got stuck in one of his barns!  I guess while trying to move the toolbox the day before, the weight from the toolbox caused the floor to break!  So, for around two hours, we had to use levers to get the toolbox out of the ground!  After a couple hours of hard work, we were able to get the toolbox out of the ground and loaded on Hermano Montuy's truck! While taking the toolbox back to the barn, we got to ride in the back of Hermano Montuy's truck to make sure the toolbox didn't fall out!  Don't worry, he was driving slowly, and we were holding on haha!  Hermano Montuy's property is pretty cool!  It's almost 80 acres!  In the back of the property, there's a huge paintball field/course.  I guess Hermano Montuy used to run a business back there!  In addition to that, missionaries used to be able to play on their P-days until a Sister Missionary got hurt while doing it; kind of a bummer but oh well!

After finishing the service project, we headed back and got ready for the day!  While heading out, we realized we couldn't find our gas card 😭; we tried looking everywhere but we couldn't find it; we went through our apartment, our car and even stopped by the gas station where we had last used the card: but we had no success.  So, we had to call Elder Butcher and have him order a new card for us.  

After all of that, we had our first lesson of the day with our friend Diego (the man that had come up to us at Panda Express the other day!) It was a fantastic lesson!  We took him on a tour of the church and explained to him how the church is organized!  We explained to him some of the basic beliefs of the churches and the importance of modern-day Prophets and Apostles!  While teaching the lesson, Elder Isaacson and I were asked something that we had never gotten before as missionaries; he personally asked us to bear our testimonies!  I shared my testimony on the Plan of Salvation and the Book of Mormon while Elder Isaacson shared his testimony on the story of how he got here on his mission and how the Gospel had changed his life; after the lesson Diego was like, "So how do I join your church/get baptized"! So, we explained to him how it worked and set up a lesson with him the following Tuesday!  It was one of the coolest lessons of my mission! 

After Diego, we went and tried visiting a couple but neither of them was home or interested; we tried setting something up with Maria Ochoa, but she was busy driving.  We ended the night by visiting an inactive member's family and letting them know that we'd always be here to help support and love them! One thing that I've learned throughout my mission is that calling inactive members out for not going to church never works; instead, you need to love and nurture them! 

On Saturday, we were able to go up to the temple and do endowments!  Elder Isaacson over a year ago had baptized one of the friends that the sister missionaries were teaching named Ventura!  He and Elder Isaacson are super tight!  Ventura is in charge of the night church service in San Jose!  So, while serving in San Jose, I was able to get to know him pretty well since I'd always go to night church!  The endowment ceremony was completely in Spanish!  It was the first time I've ever been able to do an endowment ceremony in Spanish; it was a really cool experience!  In addition to that as well, the instruction room was completely filled! Every seat was taken!  In fact, they had to bring chairs from outside and put them alongside the wall so that everyone could have a place to sit; me and Elder Isaacson sat along the walls on the chairs that they had brought out!  After the endowment ceremony and pictures outside of the temple, we went to lunch with Ventura and the rest of his friends!  Elder Johns and Elder Schriever were there as well.  

 

 

After the long drive back to Hollister, we had a really good lesson with our friend Daniel!  We taught him the first half of the Plan of Salvation and the importance of the premortal life, the creation, and the fall of Adam and Eve!  We read from 2 Nephi 2 with him and explained to him the importance of the fall!  Since he already has a Christian belief, he already knew of the story of Adam and Eve: we just had to help him understand that the idea "original sin" is wrong and how they couldn't have children before The Fall since they were innocent: Daniel has a lot of potential to progress but he's pretty set on a couple beliefs; we'll keep working with him though!  In addition to that, we taught how the Atonement of Jesus Christ ties into the fall of Adam and Eve. 

After Daniel, we taught our friend Javier (the partner of Veronica) the Godhead and the structure of the Church: we explained to him the importance of having a modern-day living prophet!  We also talked to him about faith and explained it to him as a principle of action and power!  We read from Alma 32:27 and invited him to act upon the faith he already had!  He's a really cool guy and has a lot of potential to progress! We just have to help them get married and come to Church!  After a couple more contacts, we ended the night by teaching class and sending a couple of church invite texts out! 

We had a really good Sunday!  We had eight people pull up to church!  Juan and Dora, Daniel, Diego, Martha, and Alfredo Lepez (this was their first time coming since Elder Isaacson had found them), Laura Gladys, and Eddie all came to church!  Me and Elder Isaacson were pumped!  They all really enjoyed the service and the classes afterwards!  Since it was fast and testimony meeting, Elder Isaacson was able to give a really good testimony on the importance of sacrifice and what it teaches you and how it allows you to gain gratitude!  After church, we had a couple meetings where we talked about the branch and the needs of the branch!  After a Sunday nap, we went and ministered to the English Sisters and then went and visited a couple of our friends!  We went and chatted it up with Mateo and his family!  Mateo is very difficult to understand but we always have good conversations with him!  He was busy watching John Wick haha! (we may or may not have watched a little with him). 

Afterwards, we talked to Ismael and his buddies outside!  They were all drinking, so we just went up to them and said what up!  I talked to one of his buddies for a while about why we do missionary work and our purpose as missionaries!  He kinda asked why we "force" our religion upon others and why we can't just mind our own business haha: while I partially agree, I explained to him all that we do is share and invite others to come unto Christ by having them find out for themselves if the message we teach as missionaries is true or not; I also shared the reasons that make our church special/true such as the Book of Mormon, the Priesthood, the message of the restoration, etc.  After a good conversation with our friend Hector, we visited a couple more people and ended the night by teaching our friend Juventino (a nice man from Oaxaca) about the importance of our life here on Earth and the Plan of Salvation! 

On Monday, we had interviews with President Larson! Interviews were held in Gilroy, which is about a half hour away from Hollister!  We had to head up early since we'd be having a special District Council with Sister Larson joining us!  We had a really good District Council where we talked about the Atonement and why missionary work is so hard!  We listened to a really good talk that Elder Holland had given to mission presidents awhile back about how going through the grind, struggle, and heartache of a missionary allows us to slightly better understand what the Savior must have felt during his atoning sacrifice; even though we'll never be able to understand or comprehend what the Savior went through, the "hard" from being a missionary gives us a better idea of what the Savior went through for us and how he is the only one who truly understands how we feel! 

 

After District Council, we had a Zone training by President Larson on the importance of humble confidence!  He basically taught us that we need to think highly of ourselves and others but that we're still sinners and will fall short occasionally and that it is important to realize that there are weaknesses that we all face!  It's through our weaknesses and trials that we are able to learn, grow, and become better (with the Lord, of course).  After the Zone training, we had to wait for a while for our interviews since the Zone is so big.  After waiting for a couple hours, it was my turn for my interview!  

I had a really good interview with President Larson!  We basically talked about the area and how there are a lot of progressing friends down here!  He basically told me he wasn't sure how me and Elder Isaacson would be together as companions since we are such wild cards, but looking back at it he's happy he did since the area is doing well!  Right as we were saying the closing prayer, something unexpected occurred.  President Larson told me that he had gotten an email from a member of the English Ward complaining about Elder Isaacson and me from the interview last Friday!  A little context:  The interview Elder Isaacson did was for the girlfriend of the member from the English ward; he had just gotten divorced from his previous wife, and he was dating this new girl; So basically, the girlfriend of the member was getting taught by the missionaries so that she could get married to the member!  She was not genuinely interested at all; well, Elder Isaacson did her interview really quickly since she was super awkward/we didn't want to be there at all; while Elder Isaacson was giving the interview, I was outside with Elder Stocking and his companion talking to the member; the member was pretty rude to me and the other missionaries there; well it turns out that he had  sent an email full of complete lies and slanders against me and Elder Isaacson!  He claimed that his girlfriend told him that Elder Isaacson had been looking at her breasts the whole time during the interview and that me and Elder Isaacson were "trunky' missionaries who didn't take the work seriously and that we didn't carry the Spirit with us!  I was appalled and shocked at these gross ridiculous lies and slanders that he had thrown at us!  I immediately told President Larson that these were all incredibly untrue and unjustified attacks towards me and Elder Isaacson; I explained to him that this member has had a long history of this towards missionaries and how he had been racist towards Elder Leaune!  I also explained to him how he had criticized Elder Leaune as a missionary and how it had affected him pretty badly; President Larson totally believed us and gave no thought toward his email.  It upset me pretty badly how someone could go out of their way to slander and lie about someone they didn't even know; I still have no idea why this member told such terrible lies about me and Elder Isaacson. We are just going to ignore it and continue to keep doing great work! 

After our interviews (which took a while), we headed back to Hollister to begin the day!  We had a good lesson with Diego!  We talked about the Plan of salvation and the importance of the Atonement!  We talked about the importance of avoiding temptation/sin through the prompting of the Holy Ghost!  We bore our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and invited him to read and pray about it!  We also explained to him the importance of making and keeping scared covenants! We ended the night by doing a couple of contacts!

On Tuesday, we had Zone Council!  Our Zone is doing really well!  During Zone Council, we talked about the Atonement, and we went around and shared our testimonies on the importance of Jesus Christ in our lives!  I shared how Jesus Christ is not only our Savior, but the perfect example in our lives!  I can confidently say that Jesus Christ and the life he lived has helped shape me into the person I am today!  He has taught me how to act, what to say, and what to think!  One of my favorite stories from the Savior will always be the Sermon on the Mount! 

After Zone Council, we headed back to Hollister to begin the day!  The day was SUPER slowwww.  Our lessons were all canceled, and no one was interested today.  After a slow day, we ended the day by going to English class (this class was run by the Stake) and helping the members/friends who came!  Laura Gladys and Martha (the mother of the Lepe Martinez family) came, and we were able to help them with English!  Elder Copeland