"The Gospel is here to comfort the afflicted, but also to afflict those that become comfortable.
Always remember that our testimonies are a living, breathing thing. We must constantly strive to put our faith and trust in the Savior and to be constantly acting to grow our faith. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and that it is so simple and perfect. It changes lives, and I know that because it has changed mine."
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| Multi-Zones on top of Mt. Rubidoux (pic "borrowed' from President Hammon's Blog) |
Hey everyone! This past week has been another incredible week here in the good old CRM. Elder Yang and I have really seen many miracles and had a GREAT week! I know I say that a lot, but the Lord definitely continues to bless us each and everyday. We have found 4 new investigators from this past week, and also we currently have 4 investigators on date for baptism. Please continue to pray for our investigators that they may continue to progress. We are super excited for some great things that are happening in our area! Loving' it! Seriously I am so PUMPED for our area right now.
Monday night we were out doing some Seeking With Faith and we met a super cool Chinese guy named Peixi. We walked and talked with him for a while. He was super cool and we got his contact info! More info on him later.
Tuesday was another day full of walking and talking to people, doing some good old Seeking With Faith.
Wednesday morning we had service with Feeding America, which was fun! That afternoon, we had the opportunity to teach Peixi! We met with him at the UCR Institute building, and it was a pretty great lesson! We taught him about the Restoration. Peixi currently doesn't have a religion, but he does attend another church with his friends. Please pray for him! That night, we had another great English Class. After class we taught Jason Ti. We showed him the General Conference talk from April of 2017, Elder Costa's talk. Remember that one? He loved the talk, but still has some concerns that we are struggling to help him overcome. Please pray for him that he can come to know of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Thursday morning and afternoon we had our Multi-Zones. We received a lot of great trainings and I definitely learned a lot. Our mission is becoming a smartphone mission pretty soon, and so that will be pretty interesting. Also, we are going to have WeChat, which will be a big benefit for the Chinese work here. (mom note: WeChat is a Chinese social media and messaging app) That evening after our Multi-Zones Conference, Elder Yang and I taught another new investigator from this past week, August Pan. We first contacted August on campus this past week, and he is at UCR studying film. He loves Marvel movies, and is a super cool guy. We taught him about the Restoration and it was a great lesson! We are excited to continue to work with him.
Friday afternoon we had the opportunity to teach Liu Tianchi again! We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was pretty great again. Liu Tianchi is struggling a little bit as far as a sincere desire to accept the Gospel Message. Please pray for him as well, and that he can attend church! That night, we had another great English Class and had 3 people come. All three of them are our current investigators :)
Saturday morning our ward and the Canyon Crest Ward had a Softball and Pancake Activity. It was fun to watch some softball, and was good talking to some members as well! I didn't play. The knees and feet are giving me some probs. That day we also got to move a ton of mulch around in someone's backyard. That evening after doing some Seeking With Faith, we then had another home visit with Hank! He is doing so well. He was Skying with Tina (who now lives in NoCal) and so I got to see her too! They are doing awesome. We are praying that Hank can get the Melchizedek Priesthood soon and they can go to the temple to be sealed! They are so awesome.
Sunday was another awesome and busy day. Jason Ti came to church again! This past Sunday was our Ward Conference, and that was pretty good! Jason loves church, which is great. YiHang Yuan came for about the last 5 minutes, but we had the opportunity to teach him directly after our meetings at the building. We taught him the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it was a great lesson, We got to ask him some a lot of inspired questions and share a bunch of scriptures with him. He currently is on date for baptism for April 1st! Please pray for him. We also had another lesson with Tan Cheng, and his wife Hou Yu. We first contacted Tan Cheng at the bus stop a couple of weeks ago. He was super interested, but we struggled to set up a time due to his midterms and school projects. We finally got to meet, and he brought his wife too! They are such a nice couple, and we taught them the Restoration. It was such a spiritual lesson! WOW. They asked us some great questions, and committed to baptism on April 8th! Such a blessing. At the end of the lesson, Tan Cheng asked us how he could learn and understand more. We then helped him download the Gospel Library App, so that he has access to other church materials. Please pray for them that they can resist false teachings and come to know the truth!
Sorry this email is so long but wow, what a week! I am super pumped for our area, Our Ward Conference was this past Sunday. I learned something that I loved. The Gospel is here to comfort the afflicted, but also to afflict those that become comfortable. Always remember that our testimonies are a living, breathing thing. We must constantly strive to put our faith and trust in the Savior and to be constantly acting to grow our faith. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and that it is so simple and perfect. It changes lives, and I know that because it has changed mine. I love my mission. Love you all have a great week!
Elder Willes
