THE. BEST. WEEK. (Monday, May, 28, 2018)

"Matt told us that he is going back to China in a few days to get some money and bring it back here to support his family. [He and his wife had been scheduled for baptism on June 17.] Matt asked us during the lesson if he could be baptized and confirmed this upcoming Sunday right before he left (the 27th). 

Matt met all of the requirements for baptism, we just had to teach him the rest of the lessons! "

Elder Crowther, Matt Ma, and Elder Willes

THE BEST WEEK
Hey everyone! This past week has been another absolutely incredible week here in the good old California, Riverside Mission. We were able to witness many, many miracles. Two of those miracles were the baptisms of YiHang Yuan and also Matt Ma! I am super excited to tell you all about my week.

This week was busy and awesome. It was filled teaching and finding, English classes, service, successes and disappointments, and lots of miracles. We taught a man named Clark. We first contacted him in the park, and he said that he was interested in the message. We finally set up a time to meet with him, and taught him about the Restoration. Clark doesn't have any religious background, and said that he is not ready to accept the true message of the Restoration yet. It was sad, but I know that God will continue to prepare him for future missionaries.

We also had Multi-Zones this week! It was awesome. We received a lot of great trainings and it was super cool. Elder Crowther and I gave a training on the purpose of our Missionary Standards, and why we have them. The Spirit was so strong, and we thought it went really well! 

The Lord continues to bless us through English Class. We have been having lots of people come recently, and so that has been a lot of fun! It has been a great tool in finding more investigators. We also had a home visit with Brother Xiong! Brother Xiong recently married Anna Yu, who we are going to resume teaching this week. Anna is really interested, and we believe that she can be baptized coming up here soon! Wednesday evening we spent a lot of time out and about doing some good old Seeking With Faith and witnessed a Huge Miracle. We received a referral from a Chinese person who wanted a Bible. We went by the address listed, and guess who it was? The Zhang family, who we paused about 2 weeks ago. They let us in, and were super nice to us. We talked with them about the importance of prayer, and also priesthood blessings because we felt that may be helpful to them to consider as their baby daughter hasn't been feeling well recently. We hope and pray that we can continue to teach them! 

Thursday was super busy. Elder Crowther got sick, so I went out and worked with Elder Carter. We had a great day! In the morning, we had a WeChat lesson with Amy. We read through 3 Nephi 13 with her, and talked about Jesus Christ's teachings to the Nephites in the Americas. Those chapters are so powerful. It was a great lesson! We also we able to do a Home Visit with 杨弟兄，a recent covert of just a couple of months. He is great, and we shared the Stake Mission Plan with him. 

Thursday afternoon, we had the opportunity to meet with Matt and Joanna! This is the lesson where everything started to happen super fast. Matt told us that he is going back to China (today) to get some money and bring it back here to support his family. He asked us during the lesson if he could be baptized and confirmed this upcoming Sunday (3 days away)  right before he left for China (the 27th). Matt met all of the requirements for baptism, we just had to teach him the rest of the lessons! We taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Law of Chastity, the Word of Wisdom, and the Law of Tithing. It was a great lesson. They agreed to keep all commandments, and really grasped the importance of them as well. It was amazing! That night Elder Carter and I drove out to Corona to teach Jacky again! We followed up his prayer and Book of Mormon reading, and taught him the Restoration all the way through again. Please continue to pray for Jacky! He currently is on date for baptism on June 17th. 

Friday we cleaned Limonite again, a major street in Eastvale. In the afternoon, we also met with Matt and Joanna! We taught them the rest of the commandments and it was another great lesson. They are such a prepared family. We are so grateful for them! That night, after English Class, Matt had his interview for Baptism. It went great. He needed another interview with President Hammon but more on that in a second. 

Saturday we did another WeChat lesson with Amy! She is doing awesome! We got her confirmation ready to go for the following day. Matt and Joanna also took us out for lunch at a Asian Buffet, and they also brought a non-member family member. It was super cool! We drove to the Mission Home to be there for Matt's interview with President Hammon. It was my first time ever being in the Mission Home. It was so nice! Matt was found worthy and ready for baptism, and that was amazing! Right after that, we went straight to have another lesson with William Cui. We set some very specific goals with him, reading from the Book of Mormon, prayer, and also quitting smoking. Please pray for him! We also spent a good amount of time doing some Seeking With Faith, and that was pretty great as well!

Matt and Joanna (and their family member) treat Elder Willes and Elder Crowther to Asian Buffet

Sunday was amazing! This past week, we had 8 people come to church! 5 of them are current investigators, and the other 3 we haven't been able to teach yet, but we will this week. Matt and Joanna, Jacky, Anna, and also Xun all came to Church!!!! It was incredible. We also had Chinese Sacrament Meeting, and the Spirit was really strong during that. That afternoon, 苗弟兄 took me to YiHang Yuan's Baptism! It was an incredible service. I had the opportunity to baptize him. YiHang has changed so much, and I know that the change is because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. A lot of YSA students came to support him, and that was so great to see! 

YiHang's Baptism

Right after YiHang's baptism, we had Matt Ma's Baptism! What an amazing baptism. The Spirit was so strong. President and Sister Hammon came. I also had the opportunity to baptize Matt, and that was something I will never, ever forget. Matt left for China today, but will be back in 2 months. Elder Crowther confirmed Matt and President Hammon stood in the circle with us. That was super awesome. Matt bore a powerful testimony at his baptism. 

Matt's Baptism

I testify that it is because of God that we have had the amazing opportunity to be in the teaching process with Matt and Joanna and YiHang. Matt is going to be an incredible member and we are excited to continue to work with Joanna! After the baptism, we were able to meet with them, and teach them the last lesson. It was so spiritual. They told us that they want their son Mark to serve a mission. That was amazing and nothing would make me happier. They are so cool!

Well, everyone, this past week has been amazing. I testify that miracles have not ceased, and the God continues to work miracles each and everyday. There are people all around us who are ready and waiting to hear this message. I love God's work, and I am so happy and grateful to be a full time representative of the Savior, Jesus Christ. Love you all have a great week!

Elder Willes 

IT CHANGES LIVES (Monday, May 21, 2018)

"The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect, and I know that It changes lives." 

Elder Willes and Elder Simpson on p-day

Hello everyone! This past week has been another incredible week here in the good old California, Riverside Mission. Elder Crowther and I have continued to see Miracles each and everyday, and I am excited to report on another great week here in Eastvale. Here is how it all went down! 

On Monday night we had another lesson with our investigator, Leo. We taught him the Plan of Salvation, and then his son was super tired and started having a meltdown. We were not able to finish the lesson. Leo went back to China this past week, but he said that he is interested in learning about the Church in China, so we are going to help him out with that! 

Elder Willes and Elder Crowther with their English Class

Our English Class has been incredible lately. Before class this week on Wednesday morning, we met with one of our new investigators from this past week, Jun. Jun was found through our English class. After teaching him he accepted invitations to pray and read from the Book of Mormon. We were super excited about that! We have been having like 16 people come to English Class! It is a great finding tool in our area. 

That same day we were also able to have a lesson with another new investigator from this past week, Eric Hao. Eric is here with his wife, and we first contacted him while he was carrying his groceries home. We taught him at the park and shared the Restoration with him. It was a pretty good lesson! He also accepted both an invitation to pray and read from the Book of Mormon. Please pray for both of these individuals. That night, we also had another great lesson with Jacky! Jacky is doing great. We really feel that this is his time to progress towards Baptism and join the Church. We taught him some points from the Plan of Salvation, and had a pretty spiritual lesson with him. 

This week we also taught 2 other new investigators, Jack and Chloe. Jack, originally was a referral from the other missionaries, and so we went by and got to teach him and his wife, Chloe as well! Chloe has a Christian background, but Jack doesn't really have any religious background. We had a really spiritual lesson with them! They both really have a strong desire to strengthen their faith in Christ, and that was something that was really cool to see! 

We met with Matt and Joanna again! They are doing so well! Matt and Joanna are some of the most prepared individuals that I have taught throughout my entire mission. They are so incredible, and accept and apply everything that we teach! A week ago, the Li family took them to the San Diego Temple and also the Mormon Battalion Visitor Center and they loved that! More on them later! 

Thursday night we also got to go over and teach Amy Hanstad again! Amy's Confirmation will be this upcoming Sunday! We are excited for her! Tuesday morning we had our DLC and District Meetings. It was a great opportunity to look towards the coming week, and to come up with ways on how we can improve the Missionary work in the Jurupa Zone. That day we were able to do a lot of good old Seeking With Faith, and we found some potential investigators for the week.

Friday afternoon we also had the opportunity to meet with Sara Guo again, and to review the Restoration with her. The Spirit was very strong, and Sara has a strong Testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It has been such a blessing to be able to see her utilize the Atonement and become a true follower of Jesus Christ. That night, we had another incredible English Class! We had a lot of people there. 

Saturday was busy busy! In the morning, we had another Weekly Blitz. Elder Loveridge and I went out together. He is one of the ZL's in the La Sierra Zone. That was fun. After that, in the afternoon, we had the opportunity to meet with Matt and Joanna again! We taught Matt about the Plan of Salvation, and Matt loved it! They are so cool. Matt and Joanna are currently on date for June 17th. Please pray for them that they can progress and be baptized on that date! That afternoon, we also had the opportunity to teach William Cui again. We taught him the Word of Wisdom, because we are trying to help him to quit smoking. He also played this instrument for us that is used in the Beijing Opera. That was cool. After that, we then got to teach Jen's less active husband Lorenzo. We answered a lot of his questions and concerns about the Gospel, and the Spirit was very strong. It was a great experience!

Sunday was another great day! We had 4 investigators that came to Church this past week! Matt, Chloe, William, and also Jacky all came to Church! After church, Elder Crowther and I had a meeting with the Stake Presidency called Stake MCM, to talk about the missionary work in our Zones. That was fun! In the afternoon and evening, we were able to do a couple of Home Visits, specifically with Spencer Holloway, and also the Li Family. All of them are doing great and are all excited to be more involved with our Missionary Work! 

This past week has been incredible. I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity that I have to be here and to represent my Savior, Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect, and I know that It changes lives. What a blessing that is! Love you all have a great week!

Elder Willes