2 Oct 2018: ¡¿Voy a ser un entrenedor?!

Hola todos!

Fun on exchanges with Elder Martinez. Our three generation pic.

It has been quite the week. Muchas cosas han pasadas esta semana.
 I'm just going to tell you the things that happened in no specific order.

So on Thursday, we got home from an appointment around noon. I was feeling a little dehydrated, or something weird. It was giving me wicked diarrhea, but we went on with our day. By dinner, I was really feeling sick. Hermana Calvo, a really nice Hispanic lady in the ward gave me herbal tea to help with my stomach, but I ended up taking a trip to her bathroom, and seeing the fruits of my labors manifest themselves in the toilet. (I vomited). I eventually felt better, and the work went on. Don't tell Dana that I was wearing the tie she gave me. It was pretty messy.

So I have been dealing with the after effects of that all week. I am eating more and more little by little. I just called the sister missionary nurse at the mission office today to see if there was any medicine I could take. She said it was probably just a bug, and to drink tons and tons of fluids, and maybe tums or something. 

So that has been fun. 

Last p day was really busy. We weren't even at our apartment until 9:30 after we were done with p day sports. We played every sport we could at p day sports, because my grandfather, Elder Martinez, and Hna. Powell were there for the last p day sports. We played dodgeball and I got nailed in the face pretty hard. We got video of it too! 

Then Wednesday we practiced the Haka at another members house from another ward. He is from New Zealand and he had THE COOLEST accent! It was awesome. We got a video of him doing it too. 

Thursday, Ricardo had his baptismal interview, which he passed. There is some question about his criminal background, but he isn't on parole or probation now so if there is anything like rape or murder in his past, we just hope that he will tell us this week. But I don't think there is. He is totally a changed man. It is awesome to see how the gospel has changed his life and his family's as well. 

Friday, was a really fun day. We had district council, with transfer predictions from the book of Mormon (did you do that at all?) We also had exchanges with the zone leaders, in their area, which is the most hood and ghetto area in the valley. But we found a few nice people and had a few lessons. 

 

Saturday. What a day Saturday was. It was probably the most exhausting day of my mission, if not my life. I hadn't gotten much sleep, because I was on an air mattress and a sheet with no pillow on the zone leader's floor. Then we sped over to their stake center (chapel) to do baptisms for their stake. We helped out with their stake baptisms, which was cool. It brought back memories of my baptism, over ten years ago. Then we helped out with the zone leaders baptisms that day. In one ward, they had 5 BAPTISMS that day. And it was pandemonium. There were so many kids running around, it actually decreased from the spirit of the event. One of them, Marco, was an older man in a walker, so when they baptized him, they had a chair in the water, which didn't work, so they had Elder Martinez, Lawson, and the member who baptized him help him get fully under the water. It was touching to see, that he was able to do that. Incidentally, the day before, we helped this man crush recycling and get it into a shopping cart. I later learned that he collects recycling for change as his job. There are a ton of people that do that out here. The poverty level and low income housing is very high here. It breaks my heart to see. My eyes have been opened to that fact, and now I have that perspective, and am able to really actually appreciate the blessings I have received in my life. 

Matt's baptism!!!

Anyway. We got back from the crazy, crazy, but awesome baptismal service for the zone leaders, and finished exchanges. That whole morning we had been trying to get in contact with Matt, and he wasn't picking up the phone. He was getting baptized that day. It was a slight panic moment for me, but then he answered us and told us that he was working. He also asked for a ride to his baptism, which was odd, because he has a car. Later, we found out that his tires had been slashed! Someone did not want him to be baptized. 

So right after we found that out, a member called us and asked us if there was anything he could do for us. We were like "YES BLESS YOU CAN YOU TAKE MATT TO HIS BAPTISM!!" He did, and it was awesome. That member was truly led by the Spirit, whether he knew it or not. 

And then I baptized Matt. The feeling of joy that I felt during that whole service was incomparable. Unbelievable. It reminded me of a scripture: D&C 18: 15-16

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! 

16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!

This is 100% true. That day was amazing. He felt it, we felt it, everyone who was there felt it. 

Then we went to the Luau, for the Washington Avenue ward. It was awesome. My companions and I donned our lavalavas(look it up) and leis, and danced the Samoan Slap dance and the Haka (look it up). It was a blast. I wish I could have eaten more of the food, but my stomach was still recovering. Being there was a great, unconventional  missionary opportunity. 

Then Sunday we had a great Sacrament meeting. Matt was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. All the talks that day were perfect for him. 

A member who was scheduled to feed us wanted to meet us at Jack N The Box, and we were like "please don't, we want you to keep the Sabbath day holy", then she told us to meet us at the park and she would bring sandwiches. So we went there and she shows up with Wendy's. *Facepalm* she missed the point. Oh well. 

Yesterday, we got our transfer calls. For those who don't know, transfer calls are from the Assistants to the President and they tell us where we are going for the next transfer. If you are going to be in some form of leadership, ie training a new missionary, district leader, or zone leader, then President Youngblood calls you.

 Guess who got a call from President Youngblood. 

All of us. 

Elder Dillender is going to be replacing Elder Martinez as the new zone leader (we all saw that one coming) 

Elder Dougal is getting transferred to a Samoan ward (coincidence, yeah right) and he will be training a new elder!

And yours truly. 

Here is how the conversation went with President and I.

President: "Elder Lovell, how are you?"

Me: "Good, President! What can I do for you?"

President: "Elder Lovell, will you prepare to take on the sacred responsibility of training a new missionary?" 

*I stop breathing*

Me(in a high pitched, squeaky, very-un- missionary-like voice): "Sure?!" 

President: "Ok, you won't find out who he is until Wednesday night"

Me: "Ok, sounds good President, love you, bye!" 

*silently screams on the inside until transfer calls 3 hours later*

When President called, we thought recall was for just elder Dillender, but then after he was done talking to him, he passed the phone to Elder Dougal, who then passed it to me!

Usually, missionaries are trained for their first two transfers. I am now TRAINING after ONE!

aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! 

So that was interesting. 

Then later that night we got the call from the Assistants, and I found out that I will no longer be in the Temple View YSA Ward, just Washington Avenue, with no car, which is ok. 

So I am practically staying in my area.

We had to say goodbye to Matt last night. That was pretty emotional. My grandfather said before I left that there would be people that I would teach that were the reason why I was called to that mission. Matt was one of those people. I am 100% certain of that. I felt that we needed to talk to him about serving a mission. We testified of them, and it was pretty powerful and emotional. It was a bittersweet experience. 

I apologize for the long email. I congratulate you if you have read this far. 

Watch conference this weekend! It's going to be awesome!

 

Love, 

Elder Lovell

One of the districts in the Sunrise Manor zone