Week #20

Visiting Becky's family - a friend of Aunt Heidi's

Hey All Happy Thanksgiving! 

Hope everyone is having a great day today! This was a good week but it was long! 

Last Wednesday was an awesome day! It was a missionary perfect day with lots of appointments. We were super busy and had a lot of set appointments. We met a lady a couple weeks ago named Rosliand and she is super nice and really interested in the Book of Mormon and had great questions about our religion. Then we had other lessons that day and they all went really well.

On Thursday we got a referral for this girl named Ella. She is really nice and she had friends that were members and she asked for a Book of Mormon. It was great to meet her and we had a great lesson with her. She already is really enjoying the Book of Mormon and the goodness it brings her. 

On Friday we had a lesson with this younger guy named Griffin who is getting baptized in a couple weeks. He is really an awesome kid and made the decision himself to be baptized and is really looking forward to it. I think the thing that brings me the most joy is seeing others understand the truthfulness of our message and then seeing them have that desire to change and work towards coming closer unto their Savior Jesus Christ. Also on Friday one of the Korean elders came with us for the day and that was fun! 

We still have been working hard trying to find more people to teach and we are doing good.  The members here are really awesome and give us good people to visit and share a message with. 

We had our Thanksgiving lunch at 1 today and that was really good. It was with a family that has all the kids living in the stake still which is where they grew up so we all ate at the grandma's house. We had French dip sandwiches which were so delicious! The family wanted to do something unique so they decided to do French dip sandwiches. We shared a scripture with them which was Alma 26:37. It says: 

Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.

I really like that scripture and I love how it shows God knows everyone and knows what they need. He blesses us all so much and has definitely blessed me tremendously throughout my life. It is also so important to show thanks to him by thanking him in your prayers daily. 

This has been a great week! Have a great day and week everyone! Love you all! 

Love, 

Elder Toller 

Elder Kim, Elder Toller, Elder White

The ward mission leader

Thanksgiving dinner with ward members and their family

Week #19

Hey everyone,

Well this was a great week here in California! Last Monday we had the whole zone play basketball and there were a lot of elders but it was fun!

Tuesday we had a great district council and the main subject was about planting seeds for others and the importance of our calling. I liked how we talked about planting seeds and it is so important to plant them for others and help them strengthen their experience with the gospel. We can plant seeds for others by doing simple things like saying hi to people around us or just smiling. On Tuesday we talked to this guy in the neighborhood and we started talking for a little bit and it turned out his son had recently passed away. As we talked about the plan of salivation he started to have hope that he will see his son again. What a powerful message that is and there are people having experiences daily that can benefit from the good news of the gospel. I love the plan of salvation and know that it is true! 

 On Wednesday we had an all elders conference for the whole mission and it was awesome! There was so many elders there and we just about  filled the chapel. It made me realize that the Lord is sending lots of missionaries around this area and around the world to help others receive the restored gospel. It was a great meeting and we really talked about staying focused on our purpose as missionaries throughout everything we experience daily. It was a great spiritual boost. 

On Sunday we had Corey's baptism and that was super neat! The Spirit was super strong and it was a highlight of my mission. Corey had been meeting with missionaries for a little over a year but slowly but surely he made it and decided to be baptized. He was a referral from a member in the ward so that was great he had good fellowship from them and other ward members. The bishop said to always remember these kinds of events and write them down. He said it is super important to remember spiritual experiences like this. Also he said to listen to the still small voice and if we do so we will be able to help those struggling around us. 

Yesterday we had our interviews with President and that went well. As a companionship we have been praying to find and get in contact with new or older people. Yesterday we were able to get in contact with 3 people who we haven't seen in a long time. It was so great to see these people when we saw them. I know that if we pray God will listen to our prayers. He especially will answer us when we are missionary minded people and want to share our message of truth to all. 

Lately it has been pretty smokey around here because there are big fires around us but we are all okay and I am really loving this area and California. Also I have been doing President Nelson's challenge to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year and mark all references to Christ and I really have loved doing that and it's neat to really see how many times the Savior is mentioned in the Book of Mormon. I love this gospel and I know

The Elders and Corey

it's true! I. So thankful we have the priesthood authority restored to the earth so we can perform saving ordinances such as baptism. Love you all! Have a great day!!! 

We saw this nice car the other day walking home

Zone conference

Love, 

Elder Toller  

Corey's baptism

Week #18

Hey guys! 

Well another week has gone by. On Tuesday I went with the other elders to La Canada for the day and that was fun! I always like going to different areas in the mission even though La Canada is similar to La Crescenta. On Halloween I went on exchanges with the district leader and he came with me because his companion had a bad asthma attack. So that was fun to be with another missionary and learn from them. We had a great lesson with a guy we met named Miguel on Wednesday about the Book of Mormon and he really enjoys the Book of Mormon. He says, "like how can you think it's wrong- it seems like a great book from reading a couple of chapters." We had to come in early on Halloween because they didn't want us out and people thinking we are dressed up so we had a pizza party here and it was fun!

On Thursday we taught this guy named Corey who is getting baptized soon. He is awesome and also really loves the Book of Mormon the more we read it with him. We went to dinner to a place called Los Gringos with the Korean elders and it was interesting. I decided to get this big Bertha burrito which was huge. It had a lot of meat and other food inside. I finished it and got a t shirt and a picture. But later in the night I threw it up. It wasn't worth it but I feel great now.

On Sunday we had ward council and that was okay. Then later that day we had a Joseph Smith musical that the youth did in the stake and that was really neat. There were many people there and it was really good. I loved how they sang an arrangement of Praise to the Man. It was super neat and there is always a sweet spirit as you sing that song. Anyway me and Elder White are doing good in this area! Today we went and played basketball with like 13 other missionaries for a long time. It was fun! We also got our hair cut today so that was exciting! Have a great day and week! 

Love, 

Elder Toller