I Know How it Feels to Be an Instrument in the Lords Hands

January 27, 2014

Hola!  I have a lot to say this week. It's one for the books!

 

Ok so we started out this week with one investigator with a baptism date set for the weekend but still had concerns about a few things. She would openly tell us that she believed Joseph was a prophet, and has stopped drinking coffee, and loves to study with us, but there was something that was holding her back. We were determined to help her prepare for this Sunday though! So we met with her everyday for a little while. We gave her chapters for the BoOk of Mormon and an article from Thomas S. Monson, and reminded her to pray often.

 

We also knew that another  investigators son had been to church plenty of times and if we could find him this week to teach him he could be baptized, but he's a busy little 12 year old. The lessons for the week went as follows.

 

Tue: We read over the baptismal interview questions, and like I said there wasn't a problem with any of them. We told her that she was obviousely ready. 

 

Wed:  A missionary that I served around in Moreno Valley, and I went on Exchanges. So he went with me to visit N-- He was there when the SBO (student body officer) video incident went down in Moreno Valley.. I thought those days were over when I left. He still likes poking fun at me though, and somehow in the little spanish he knows he told her about my video, and my dancing. She really wanted to see it, but I told her she would never see it! It was kind of a goofy lesson, but she did tell us the main thing that was holding her back .....She also asked "Why so soon?

 

Thurs: We met with her in the morning again, and answered her questions with Alma 34. "Don't procrastinate the day of your repentance!" I could tell the spirit was working with her....She still wasn't for sure, but she was making progress. We also taught our young man about faith, repentance, and baptism, and invited him to be baptized on sunday. He said, "yeah." He's a man of few words.

 

Fri: Interviews for baptism were done and she passed with flying colors. We used that as a testament that she totally is ready, and in 2 days time is when the Lord wanted her to be a member of His church. She said, "Okay, but only if I get to see your video!" I facepalmed and thought about it, and showed her.  She was laughing at the video. I'm sure it was a merry time. (This video from high school will not go away!!!)

 

Note: She's super legit and keeps commitments. Her testimony is growing, and I could see that. I don't want you to think that she was baptized for the wrong reasons. She would have been baptized regardless of the video. She just likes to joke around!

 

We also taught our young man about the Restoration, and the Word of Wisdom, and asked him if he believed Joseph was a prophet to which he said, "Yeah."

 

Sat: We brought two members with us that are around her same age. It was a good lesson. She prayed at the end. It was cool to see how her prayers that she said at the end of the lessons changed from day to day. She started out the week saying, "please help me know if I should be baptized" to "I know I need to be baptized please help me" to "Thank you I'm excited to be baptized tomorrow."

 

Sun: We pulled M-- out of class and taugh him about the rest of the commandments, and he was interviewed....Then at 4:00 they were baptized. I had the priviledge of baptizing N-- It was so cool to see the progress she made from the first time we talked with her 3 and half weeks ago. I'm also glad This young man could be an example to his family, and I'm positive the mom will be baptized soon. 

 

I know miracles exist, and I know how it feels to be an instrument in the Lords hands. It's such a rewarding experience. I know that video I made was inspired. Haha just kidding, but it helped! I love to her peoples testimonies after they're baptized! Our new sister in he gospel had a great experience, and felt her burden lighten, and our young man was just super happy after, and talked more!

 

I love you!

Love, Elder Higgins 

 

Praying For Miracles....

January 21, 2014

 

You guessed right and weren't able to email yesterday (Martin Luther King Day), and we won't have to much time today either.. Sorry! I did get the guitar tabs package, and they are pretty sweet sounding tabs(hymns).  Thank you! And thanks for the sd card with the inspirational talks on them as well. We have a usb input in our car so we can listen to them whilst driving. It's pretty fantastic.

 

My companion is great. He is from Morgan UT, and likes snowboarding, and good music, so we get along well. He knows Elder Johnson that was in my district in the MTC which was pretty gnarly. As for investigators it's been kind of rough. We just need to find more. I would like to find a whole family one of these days that is just looking for the gospel. That would be nice :) It'll happen one of these days!

 

We set a goal of 7 baptisms for this month when we started out the year. That meant that if every companionship baptized one we could hit our goal, but it's been pretty rough. We haven't had any! I think we can still get at least one. We're going to visit N-- everyday this week and help prepare her.  She is great!  We are reaching M-- as well, he's  kind of a shy kid so we wanted to invite him to be baptized with two other kids from the ward that are going to be baptized this weekend. We'll see what he thinks! We need a miracle baptism here to boost zone moral, and hopefully at least one of them will do it!

 

Well, that will about do it! We've been praying for miracles, and we're hoping, and expecting some coming up, and I'm thankful for the many miracles I've seen already. I'm thankful for the Holy Ghost, and the power, and comfort it gives me. I love being out here. It's such a wonderful experience!

 

Love Elder Higgins :)

We Need Solutions!

January 13, 2014

I enjoyed seeing all the missionary moms together in the picture you sent.  I bet that was wayy fun to be able to converse and talk about your beloved sons/daughters. Thanks to all of you missionary moms, others are feeling God's love. How cool! I hope you all rejoiced exceedingly as you should have :)

Anyway, you guessed right. Transfers are today, and I'm staying here. Elder Moss is leaving though. We didn't expect that, nor desire it. He is going over to Hemet! We thought Elder Coleman was playing a joke on us when we received the calls, but he was being serious. My new companion is Elder Baltazar. I've met him briefly before, and he seems like a great guy.

We found out this last week that one of our investigators wasn't married, and is waiting for residency through her dad, and can't get married until the process is complete. We are trying to figure out solutions, but I think we'll go a head and start teaching her son, and he will be able to be baptized.

We also met a new family. They just moved in with their cousins, and two of them are members, and we taught the restoration with them, and agreed to be baptized as they find out that it's true. We also are teaching some people who rent out two rooms to people, and we called president, and he said we need to provide them an environment that is more condusive with gospel standards before they're baptized. They agreed to live the law of Chastity and passed all the baptismal interview questions, but he still said they need to be in a better environment. So we are searching for solutions for that as well!

We need solutions!

But that was our week in a few paragraphs. I'm going to miss my buddy Elder Moss, but I'm sure we'll see each other frequently

Love Elder Higgins

Mission Leadership Council - January 3, 2014

                    Zone Leaders La Sierra Zone - Elder Higgins and Elder Moss

Mission Christmas Conference - December 24, 2013

     Elders Moss, Moser, Coleman, Higgins and Clarkson and their hilarious Jam Session

Happy New Year!!

Hey!

 

I hope week one of the new year was fantastic for everyone! I imagine everyone is pumped for 2014. I am!!   I had a good week here .....I will start from today and backtrack our week.

 

Today: We woke up and did some laundry and played some B-ball. It got pretty intense, and I jammed my pinky quite severely, about as severely as pinky jamming can get.. It was a small tragedy. It was my unbroken pinky (he broke a pinky several years ago snowboarding...)

 

Sunday: We had four people come to church!

 

Saturday: Got up. Personal studied, and left to get to an appointment we only had 15 minutes because we had to pick up the Foothill Elders and go to Zone Development Meeting and set up for it. ZDM was a success. We did some training and presented the new Zone Plan. We are going to be focusing on leaving better commitments, and teaching very simply to everyone, and being challenging and testifying missionaries. We taught two investigators.....

 

Friday:We had a meeting with the president and all the other Zone leaders and established this years baptismal goal, which is 1000. We are going to try and make it past 4 digits, and become what I call a four digit mission! 

 

This is where all the days start to run together into one...

 

The Rest of The week: Was really good. We played some basket ball on new years eve, and cleaned on new years until 12 o'clock, it was mission wide cleaning day. That's about all I can remember. We are meeting with C-- tomorrow and we'll set a date to be baptized on the 19th of this month, along with her son. I'll let you know how that goes.

 

Anyway, Thanks for everything. I know I'm taking part in a marvelous work and wonder, and I'm so thankful to my heavenly father for letting me know, for sure, that all these wonderful things I've been commanded to teach are true. I'm thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ as well.

 

Lovely day my lovely family!

Love, Elder Higgins,

your lovely son!

                        We are all serving in the same Spanish Ward right now! 

Merry Christmas from California

December 30, 2013

Hey Hey!!

 

It was really good seeing you this week for a Christmas visit. Definitely the highlight of my week! I'm glad everyone is still smiling and doing good! I was able to rebound pretty quick this time around. Usually I'm trunky for a few days, and just long to be home with you guys, It's just so weird to see you all together and me not there with you, but I was able to handle it better this time around. I think it's a sign of how old I'm getting in the mission.. Pretty scary!! Anyway, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Our mission president told us to read about Moroni, and as many of us were having our first Christmas away from home, he told us to try and understand loneliness, and we could grow closer to our Savior by doing that. Moroni had to have a pretty good understanding of it, and our Savior definitely understood it. A verse stood out to me as I read in Moroni 7 as he mentions that the calling he had from the Savior was a "gift." I just love how he saw in that way as he stood alone, the last disciple, and the last Nephi, being chased and persecuted because he wouldn't deny that his Savior existed. He knew Jesus Christ and stood next to him till the death, and looked at it as a gift from God. I love that, and I hope I can become a man like Moroni someday!

Well, Nothing much is new since we last visited! A boy we were teaching in Moreno Valley was baptized the day after Christmas, and President let My companion and I go back and see it. It was good to see him, and to see the families from the Nuevo ward that came to the baptism. Super cool!!

 

Our recent convert K was confirmed this week and received the precious gift of the Holy Ghost. She is leaving soon and going to the military, which seems pretty intense from everything she's told us, but she seems excited. It's what she wants to do. I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a smart girl!

 

We taught a really good lesson on The Restoration, our investigator understood it, and from the way she acted I'm sure she felt the spirit. She is the friend of one of the members of the Ward, and has come to church consecutively for 4 weeks. She agreed to be baptized. We'll set a date with her this week. I believe she is one of those "Elect" that we speak of, that hear the voice of the Savior as it is spoken by His servants. Pretty neat!!

 

Love, Elder Higgins

Christmas Day Skype call