9-29-14

Morning everyone!!

I failed to mention in my past emails that our whole mission gets to go to the movies next week! President Kendrick is allowing all of us to go see the new film the church is putting out called "Meet the Mormons". We are going to have our transfer meeting at the theater in Carlsbad too so that should be interesting. I think E. Moolenbeek will be leaving as well, he's been in the Escondido stake for an entire year and in the Palomar YSA ward for 6 months. I think he's ready to go.
I got your package mom. I'll try to figure out how to get it out to Daylon. So I wish I could go see him whenever I wanted to, but I would have to pull a lot of strings. I was lucky to go see him a few weeks ago. We just have strict rules on staying inside our mission boundaries, mileage restrictions, and were technically not allowed to see family, I just got special permission for that one time. I probably won’t be able to go to church with him, since I’m serving in a young single adult ward that is outside of the zone he lives in. But I'll see what I can do to get his package to him and keep in contact with him.
We picked up a new investigator this week, his name is Nick. He was a referral from some other elders. He doesn’t seem too interested, but will keep plugging away at him and see where the chips fall.
Last Sunday there was a great talk that was given. And one of the things that was said really stuck out to me that I had never really thought about or considered before. One of the things that was said was "Changing is not hard, not changing is hard." Think about it. If we just let our Savior in our lives instead of dwelling on our past mistakes or bad habits our lives will be so blessed. It’s so simple.
I also saw a quote that I really liked last p-day. It says "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing" - Helen Keller. Don’t waste your life being idle or going nowhere. Serve others, do what you love, utilize the gifts that God has given you!
Mom, I know you are somewhat concerned about me. You don’t have to worry at all about me. I love my mission, I love serving others, I love being out here, I never want to leave. Times do get tough sometimes, they get really really hard. But it’s all a part of the journey. If it was easy everyone would go on missions. It’s meant to be hard.

I love you all!!!

-Elder Daniel

- Our recent converts dog, Pepe

- What Jesus thinks of E. Moolenbeek

- And E .Moolenbeek again..

 

 

9-22-14

Hey everyone!!

I’ve had a few run in's with RMs who served with other kids I know. We had dinner with a girl in our ward and I found out her brother was companions with Tyler Traasdahl when they were both serving in Colorado. And her boyfriend who just got back from his mission in the Philippines served with Sam Haynie who was in the Huntsville stake before it split and was good friends with Kent Fellows. Once again, super small world in the church.

Also to clear up some stuff. Blake is our investigator, Emilio is one of our recent converts. But you can pray for both of them if you want, they need it!

This week I was able to dedicate a home for the first time! One of our recent converts in our ward who is the only member of her family told us that she doesn’t really feel safe or feel the spirit in her home and she asked us if we could dedicate it for her. It was really cool! Hopefully now her home is a place where the spirit can reside and be a refuge from the storms of life.

We were able to teach another one of our investigators that we haven’t been able to meet up with for a while last week while we were on exchanges, Michael. We had a great discussion on the blessings and strength that come from going to church. It went really well. He's slowly learning to feel the spirit and what he needs to do to come closer to his Heavenly Father and his Savior.

This week I’m giving a training on the power and authority of our callings as missionaries. We as missionaries have the opportunity to do things that nobody else on earth can do. We are the only ones set apart from the world to do nothing more than to preach the gospel. I’ve been able to do a lot of studying up on it lately. What we are doing is actually an apostolic work, the apostles were called to do the same exact thing when Christ was upon the earth. Pretty cool huh? I don’t want to waste a minute of my time left here while I’m set apart and entitled to certain things that I will no longer have once I take my name tag off. Mom, you remember when we were watching the Lord of the Rings and you showed us that scene at the end you really liked a long time ago? It’s kind of cheesy, but it’s where Gandalf says to Frodo "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us". I’ve come to realize that you don’t need to worry about your circumstances. Just be grateful for what you have and carry on with what you are called to do.

I love you all, more than you will ever know

Your son, friend, and big brother,

-Elder Daniel

 -Yes, that is in fact a Ferrari

 

-Elder Moolenbeek decided to do some street preach'n on at Cal State..

9-15-14

Hey Guys!!!

Anthony your fro is look'n good man, keep it growing! And thanks for the beautiful mug shot of Walter, he's look'n good too. Can he grow facial hair yet? Ha-ha

This week had been really awesome. One of the best on my mission. Can you guess why? I was able to see a family member that I haven’t seen in quite some time, and his name is Daylon!!! I was able to see him on Saturday night at the place he's staying at. He actually lives super close to us, like only ten minutes away, if even that. He still has the blue Dodge Ram that he had in Montgomery, which was how we found his house when we were looking at all the mail boxes for the house number. He is doing good! He's doing plumbing and side jobs all around Carlsbad and Vista. We were able to do a lot of catching up, I think the last time I saw him was Christmas in Sierra Vista almost 5 years ago. He said that he didn’t know you were getting married and then he saw the pictures on Facebook and was like 'what?!' ha-ha, he said he's very out of the loop. We talked about Logan coming home from his mission, everyone at Woodstock, and about the rest of the family.

We were able to have an awesome discussion about the gospel. What kind of missionary would I be if I didn’t, right? He told me that he was thinking a lot about Logan and I on our missions a few months ago and he said that he got an impression that he should really say a prayer. He said that it was the first time in 4 years that he actually got on his knees and prayed. He told me that there was a lot said in that prayer, and he was getting kind of chocked up talking about it. I was thinking what I could share with him, something simple and that would get him to feel the spirit. The spirit is what prods people to do things, not so much people’s words. I shared 2 Nephi 32: 8-9, the one that talks about praying always. We were able to explain that Heavenly Father wants to hear us, to be a part of our lives, and that we never need feel like we can’t or are unworthy to talk to Him. Prayer is an essential part of feeling the spirit in our lives and developing our relationship with our Heavenly Father. He told us that he loves the church, but he has doubts about Joseph Smith. We were able to share our experiences we had with gaining our own testimonies and were able to bear our testimonies to him.

I was able to give him Book of Mormon with my testimony in it and a picture of the first baptism I had. When we were about to leave he said that he really needed that visit and that he was going to try to come back to church. I honestly believe that seeing Daylon was one of many reasons why I was called to serve here in this mission. I don’t think it was a coincidence. Hopefully we were able to spark a glimpse of light in his heart that will grow into something bigger.

 On Sunday three of our recent converts were able to get up and bear their testimonies of their experiences they had at the temple. They were able to do baptisms the night before at the San Diego Temple. It was hard not to cry, I was so proud of them, and my testimony was strengthened as these young men, only members for a few months, have found the true joy that the gospel brings, so awesome.

I have more to say but I’m getting kicked off the computer.

I love you all,
Your son, big brother, and friend,

-Elder Daniel

  Recognize this guy?

 

 

 

 

 

9-8-14

Que Pasa!!!

I wasn’t able to see Daylon this week, he got called into work and had to reschedule. I should be seeing him in the next few weeks here though. I got a packet with letters from everyone at Woodstock, it was pretty awesome! Put a big smile on my face.
This week we had our first on many missionary booths on Palomar Campus. The institute had a student association on campus so we get to set up a tent on the plaza with all the other clubs on campus. It’s freakin sweet! It is a little odd though, being a missionary and doing missionary work on a college campus in Southern California. (My eyes have never beheld such immodesty in my entire life.) Haha. It’s all good though. We talk to hundreds of people and are able to hand out boxes of church material in the space of only 2 hours. We actually picked up a new investigator from the booth, his name is Nick. He actually found out about the church from the Broadway play, but he was intrigued by it and had really sincere questions about what we believe. (That’s how one of our recent converts actually found out about the church as well, maybe it’s not such a bad thing at all.) It’s more of a strength than it is a hindrance to the work in some cases. Anyway, we should be meeting with him sometime this week.

We had Stake Conference yesterday and the 1st Councilor in the Stake Presidency said something that I had never heard before. He said that you can look at the Atonement as the "At-One-Ment". Because that’s what the Atonement does for us. It helps us to become at one with our Heavenly Father and our Savior. The Atonement does so much for us, it redeems us, it enables us to get back on our feet, but I think we sometimes forget to focus on the fact that it is meant to strengthen our relationship with our Father in Heaven and Christ. Remember that.

I love you all,

Your friend, son, and big brother,

-Elder Daniel

 

 A member's cruiser board (Literally everyone and their dog has a Penny board here in SoCal)

 

 

 

 

 

 

9-2-14

What’s up Everyone!

This week we picked up one new investigator. His name is Blake, he is a friend of one of the members of our ward, Emilio, who is actually a recent convert of about a year or so. He has had somewhat of a rough past and is looking for peace and guidance in his life. Emilio has brought him to church and to the FHE activities we've been having on Monday nights. He told us that he has seen a huge change in Emilio's life since he joined the church, that he used to be a crazy trouble maker in high school and has completely changed his life since being baptized. He said that’s what he wants in his life. We were able to teach him right after church on Sunday about the restoration and were able to commit him to baptism for the end of this month. I can’t wait to teach him about the Plan of Salvation, he had a lot of questions and thoughts about why he's here and what happens after this life. He is a good kid, if he embraces the gospel it will bless his life in so many different ways.

Sunday was fast and testimony meeting and it was one of the most spiritual ones I’ve ever been to in my life. During the sacrament portion of the meeting, two of our recent converts were carrying out their Priesthood duties. Josh Bolliger blessed the sacrament for the first time, it was awesome because he said the prayer with such reverence because he knew how important his duty was to perform that ordinance. Liam Armour was able to pass the sacrament for the first time. I wish you guys could experience it for yourselves, how amazing it is and the feelings you feel when you see those you come to love grow and progress in the gospel. Maybe that’s what being a parent is like. Haha. And Alfonso was able to receive the Priesthood on Sunday as well. Our ward mission leader Toby was able to ordain him. Toby has a very cool story also, he was inactive for years and years and just recently came back into activity. He has some tattoos, didn’t want to have anything to do with the church, and was just way off the beaten path. Until earlier this year, he came back and was called to be the ward mission leader of our ward. And he is honestly the best one I’ve had on my mission so far. In my opinion I am serving in the best ward in the mission, I love it so much. We have the best members, the best leaders, and the best fellowshipers. When wards are focused on missionary work, it thrives and everything falls into place. It’s kind of frustrating as a missionary when you get transferred to a ward that doesn’t take the work of salvation seriously. President Monson has said that "Missionary work is the life blood of the church", couldn’t be truer. Without missionaries and member missionaries, the gospel would crumble.

We have dinner with our bishop's in laws every Monday and they have a quote hanging up in their kitchen. "Happiness doesn’t come from doing what we like, but liking what we have to do". I love that quote. As members of the church, callings are given and we have responsibilities and duties. We need to learn to enjoy doing the things that our Heavenly Father has asked us to do instead of seeing it as a burden. Life is meant to be enjoyed not endured.

I love you all,

Your friend, big brother and son,

-Elder Daniel

p.s. Congrats Matt!!!

 

Hopped on the bikes this week

Elder Moolenbeek and some cash from his homeland
View from a member’s back yard and all their avocado groves
Words to live by