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