Week #55

Hey all! This was a good week! 

Wednesday we had a mission conference with every missionary and the new zones we got. It was pretty fun! We got to watch an MTC devotional with Elder Holland and it was very good! He talked about the importance of our work as missionaries. He also talked about the importance of understanding the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

Yesterday I had to speak in the Samoan ward and that was pretty good! I talked about the importance of missionary work and the importance of members joining in on "the greatest work on earth."  

One thing I shared was Mosiah 2:41

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God [especially missionary work].  For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

I love how it says were blessed in all things temporal and spiritual. I know that as we share our testimony and love for others we will absolutely be happy and want to share it more. 

Also I used President Uchtdorf's talk from last conference about missionary work and it is really great. I would love each of you to read that this week. I also like the last part of his talk. 

But What If It’s Hard?

“But,” you might ask, “what if I do all this and people react poorly? What if they are critical about the Church? What if they unfriend me?”

Yes, that may happen. Since ancient times, disciples of Jesus Christ have often been persecuted. The Apostle Peter said, “Rejoice … as you share Christ’s sufferings.” The early Saints rejoiced “that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.”

Remember, the Lord works in mysterious ways. It may be that by your Christlike response to rejection a hardened heart could be softened.

As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I bless you with the confidence to be a living testimonial of gospel values, with the courage to always be recognized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with the humility to assist in His work as an expression of your love for Heavenly Father and His children.

My dear friends, you will rejoice in knowing that you are a significant part in the long-foretold gathering of Israel, preparing for Christ’s coming in “power and great glory; with all the holy angels.”

Heavenly Father knows you. The Lord loves you. God will bless you. This work is ordained of Him. You can do this. We can all do this together.

I know missionary work is the best work we can do! Pray for missionary opportunities daily and they will come. I love you all and hope you have a great day! 

Elder Toller 

Elder Uchtdorf's talk on Missionary work

Week #53

Hey all! 
This was another great week! We really focused on street contacting people more this week and it went really well. It's fun to talk to different people. We had some great visits with awesome people this week. 

Brian came to church on Sunday and he enjoyed it. We had a great lesson about the area president's plan for missionary work in the northwest area. It was really good! 

Everything else is going good and it's getting  pretty warm in California. Have a great week! 

I love this video called Ask of God. It is about the first vision and always brings the Spirit. I love it and know God and Jesus Christ called Joseph Smith to be a modern day prophet to bring the world His truth. 

Ask of God: Joseph Smith's First Vision
https://media2.ldscdn.org/assets/church-history/vision-theater-2017/2017-01-0100-ask-of-god-joseph-smiths-first-vision-1080p-eng.mp4

Love you all! 

Elder Toller 

Week #52

Hey All!

This was a good week! Hope everyone had a good 4th of July! There were lots of fireworks here. This week our mission grew by 50 percent. We got more zones and areas. We now cover Whittier, upland, chino, and Rancho cucamonga. 

Fourth of July was great! We had a ward breakfast and that was really good.  Then we had a lunch with the Samoan ward and that was really good and lots of food. Then we had a barbecue for dinner with some members. Lots of fireworks and it was neat! 

Friday was my 1 year mark! Halfway done! 

We had a good sacrament meeting yesterday and had a few people come to church. We had Bryan, Gore, and Marisela come to church. They are all great. It was Bryan's first time at church and he enjoyed it. 

Everything else is going good. Have a great week! Love you all!

Elder Toller 

1 year mark for me and 2 year mark for my companion on July 5. 

Happy 4th of July!

Week #51

Hey guys! Happy July! It's getting nice and hot down here! 

This was a good week! We have been getting a decent amount of referrals from our members and other missionaries. It's super neat! So we got this referral for a guy named Anthony and we stopped by Friday and he is super cool. We had a great visit with him and talked about the importance of prayer. He invited us back and he came to church! It was so awesome! Our ward was so awesome with introducing themselves to him. He felt very welcomed and loved church. 

We also had an awesome part member family all come to church and it was great to see them all! It is so neat to see a whole family all come to church together and feel the Spirit. 

I love this quote by President Erying from this last conference called a home where the spirit of the Lord dwells. It talks about forgiving all and growing stronger relationships with each other and especially in our homes. Some of the greatest people are those who forgive quickly and often. I know as we forgive others we are able to feel more of the Lord's love for all of us. 

"Because none of us is perfect and feelings are easily hurt, families can become sacred sanctuaries only as we repent early and sincerely. Parents can set an example. Harsh words or unkind thoughts can be repented of quickly and sincerely. A simple “I am sorry” can heal wounds and invite both forgiveness and love.

The Prophet Joseph Smith was a model for us as he dealt with vicious attacks, with traitors, and even with disagreements in his family. He forgave quickly, even though he knew the attacker might attack again. He asked for forgiveness, and he gave it freely."

Have a wonderful week and day! Love you all! 

Elder Toller 

This was me and Elder Jacobson when we went to lunch the other day with a member from our area we served in together. 

The LA temple visitor center with an awesome family were visiting with.

Helping a member dig to replace the water line and sewer line!