August 18, 2014

Hola  Familia/ Amigos

Holy Cow! This week flew by! I think I am truly starting to recognize
how fast time truly flies after you hit your 1 year mark! It’s starting
to really scare me! However it just makes me realize that I need to
really focus and start to work as hard as I possibly can, because my
time will come to an end before I know it!

I have some great news for you all! Friday we got our transfer
doctrine. It all started with a call from President Alba, who was
calling to assign Elder Delgado to be a Zone Leader in Petaluma!
However, the good news is the fact that I am going to be staying here
in Vallejo for another transfer! I am super excited! Things are going
to be great! That means that this will be my 6 month area of my
Mission! And I am very thankful to be having my 6 month area in the
best area of the mission!

Well last Monday was a pretty good day! We were able to go to Benecia,
and play Lava tag in a huge jungle gym! It was so much fun, and a lot
of wild things happened! I was running from Elder Dunlap full speed,
and wrecked, into the railing, and drilled my knee! My knee is super
bruised, and was pretty swollen for the first few days!

Monday, we also spent the entire night, teaching and moving Veronica,
and her family into their new home! I am not really too sure on what’s
going on with Javier and everything, but hopefully everything will be
great! They are doing really good as a family! I hope they continue to
be strengthened in their life!

Tuesday we had our last District meeting! As a complete District for
the fact that we knew that someone from our district is going to be
leaving! Im super sorry I need to apologize. I am having a super hard
time focusing right now, because we just received news about
transfers! So my mind is a little distracted! However the district
meeting went really well! We were able to finish with all of our
testimonies so things were really spiritual!

Our exchanges this past week went really well! I was able to take
Elder Dunlap with me to Benecia where we were able to teach a new
family, and another man! They are super sweet, and solid! I am so
excited! Elder Dunlap and I were really able to get on a one on one
level and truly talk about a lot of things that were going on! I am
super proud of him! Our bike ride out to Benicia was super hard
though!

After District meeting we were able to go to a hamburger shop
named, THE HABIT! No worries though this isn't a habit for me! However
their burgers were super good, but I still miss me a good Ol’ Big Judd
Burger!

Wednesday was another great day of the week! We were able to teach
Veronica! For the English class that night we were able to do a small
split where we sent Elder Delgado with Elder Ford, to teach the
English Class and Elder Foster and I went and taught their
investigators as well as ours! We only had time to teach 2 lessons,
but both lessons were super sweet, and powerful!

Thursday was a day full of miracles as well! We went to see the Ramos
family, and usually their one son who is about 40 is super rude to us,
swearing, cursing, and yelling rude things! As well as he has told us
that he will not ever see us on his property again, or he will do
something about it! Kind of crazy! But we continue to do our best to
teach them, and be safe! However he agreed to listen in with us this
last time! We talked a lot about his relationship with Christ, and how
he wants to better his life, and he finally realized that it was through us,

he will be able to change his life! I truly feel I have been
sent here to serve in Vallejo at this time for a reason!

Friday changed everything! I was pretty sure that I was going to be
getting transferred! However, I’m thinking things will go great! So when we
began to weekly plan for the week! We received a call from President
Alba. We knew one of us was going to be getting a call for
another calling! Elder Delgado got the call! I am super excited for
him! He will love being a Zone Leader! So we pretty much finished
weekly planning, and I pretty much did it all by myself! Not that it
was a bad thing, but the plans are going to be amazing!

Saturday was such a blessing! I was able to start my day off with
lunch with Agustin from Santa Rosa, my recent convert and the Less
active who is now completely active with a temple recommend. I was so
happy to see them! It was such a blessing! They even took us to lunch
at Olive Garden! And after wards, he drove us to a car show to take
pictures with him! He is super funny, and I love that man! He is
definitely one of the reasons why I was called to serve in this mission,

and In Santa Rosa!

We also had our Hot Dog activity again this week! It didn't go well at
all! Ha ha.  We maybe had 10 or 15 people come! I stood out on the
street again, waving a sign, and trying to get people to eat a free
hot dog, and take a free tour of the church! No one came, so I decided I
would take the 80 hot dogs and start handing them out on the
streets for free! Ha ha.  Every one wanted a hot dog after that! It was
great!

Sunday went as well as possible! It was Elder Carillos last Sunday in
the mission! Kind of weird having to say goodbye to him! He is a great
guy and will do great things! It’s kind of funny, because we have so much in
common! His parents actually worked for Lambert's... as well as Watt

Farming I believe! It’s crazy!

Well Family! I love you! Thank you for all the support! You are all
great! Take care! I love you!!

Love,
Elder Albertson

 Such a Beautiful Corvette!

 Agustin and I! After our Trip to Olive Garden

 Vianey and Agustin! They are so great!

 The Elders and a few members 

at our Dinner in the Park!

 Cooking for Elder Carrillos last breakfast in the Mission! 

Biscuits and Gravy!

Our Last Sunday night meeting! 

Goodbye Elder Carrillo! 

All of the Leaders in the Zone

August 11, 2014

Hola Familia/ Amigos

This week was pretty stressfull! I think I am starting to
finally realize that Missionary life is the most stressful life
you can live! I maybe be wrong, however I have never had to worry
about something, so much, especially when it doesn't even involve me
whatsoever.

Other than that, though, we had a pretty killer week! We have been
finding a lot more families to teach! Thank goodness for the blessings
of fasting. We have been able to find 2 new families to teach this
week! And 1 of the families have already accepted baptismal dates for
the 6th of September. They are so great!

Well let's get started with how the week went.

Monday we had a pretty good day! It’s sefinitely a blessing to be able
to play sports, and enjoy a small amount of time off, to relax, and
truly get your mind fresh. However, it’s a blessing to be able to work
hard, and at the end of the night, get back into the missionary mode.
Otherwise, I think it would be really hard to get back into the mode of
missionary work come Tuesday morning.

Monday night is the night we were able to find one of our new
families. We happened to have a few lessons
drop with us, so we had some back of plans to head up to the Magazine
area, where we are quite a bit. We decided that we would
go see some former investigators as well, as some
potentials. We happened to run into a family named La Familia Ramos.
Elder Eaton, a former missionary in our mission, is actually still in
contact with them. They are wonderful, but they live in a pretty
sketchy area. But I love it so much.

Tuesday we were able to start the day off with some wonderful
teachings from the Zone Leaders as well as our District Leaders here
in Vallejo. It was super nice not having to teach or anything, and
just be able to spend the time listening and trying to learn as much
as possible. I knew there was something I needed to get out of that
meeting so I went ahead and asked the Zone Leaders if I could not
participate in teaching, because I felt there was something I needed
to get out of it, which indeed I did! I think that Zone meeting
changed a lot of things for my mission!

There was a talk that was shared by Elder Carrillo and I think this
talk is what truly changed me in my mission. It is called "Who Will
Forfeit the Harvest" by Marvin J. Ashton. This Talk changed my
outlook on how I need to look at things, and do things, to become
better, and how I can continue to harvest.

After the wonderful zone meeting I was able to go on exchanges with
Elder Foster. We were able to take a nice old long bike ride to
Benicia! Elder Foster is a stud missionary. I would really love to
serve with him before he goes home. We talked about so many
things, and both got a lot off our chests. It was a great exchange.
Even better yet, after we had dinner with the English Elders out there
in Benicia we went to find more hispanics to find and teach, and it
was great! I think we only talked to maybe 2 or 3 white people all
night! It was crazy. Someone would tell us " A Hispanic family lives
in those apartments" the first door we knocked happened to be the
hispanic family! It was great! I have 7 set lessons for this Tuesday
for when we go out there again! It was a day full of miracles and hard
work!

Wednesday Elder Delgado and I, along with Elder Foster, went to Black
Bear Diner, to end our fast since this last week was a week full of
fasting! Sunday was fast Sunday so we had to fast! Then Monday night
we started another fast for Veronica and Javier so they could find a
new apartment to live in since they’re getting kicked out! Then Tuesday
we fasted again for the surgery of my sister! 3 straight days pretty
much of fasting! It was crazy, but worth it because I know the
blessing that come from fasting!

Wednesday we had a wonderful time teaching a lot of lessons! We
actually found out that Veronica and Javier thought they had found a
house to rent for $700 however it ended up not working out! However,
they did find an apartment now! So everything is good! Except for
something. We are not really too sure what is going on, but Friday when
we went to visit them, the police where there, because Javier had
threatened to kill Veronica with a knife! I sure hope they can talk
things out, and get back to where they need to be! I think it might
just be a little newly wed issues! Ha ha

Jefferson is doing really well! We don't see him near as often anymore
since he is working like crazy with his dad doing construction! I really
hope he will be able to start and live the law of chastity!

Wednesday night we were able to do a quick exchange with Elder
Foster and Elder Ford. This way we could teach the English class
as well as teach some lessons in our area! We had a great night! We
found another great family to teach! La Familia Valderez! He is super
open just crazy busy with work and such and doesn't have a lot of time
to meet! However they are doing wonderful!

Thursday night we did a great job, and we set 2 new baptismal dates
with la familia Ramos! They are super solid! I have no doubt in my
mind that they will be able to make it to the baptismal date! We set
it for the 6th of September! So coming up pretty quick, but they are
progressing pretty quickly and will do great!

We also did a lot of area bookwork that night! We are finally
starting to be able to find a lot of potentials and formers in the
area! But since we haven't gotten a car, we really haven't had a lot
of time to travel around the area, and go through them! That’s why I
don't feel area “Trunky” at all! Cause there is still a ton of work here
that I could do! I would love to stay here 6 months!

Saturday we had a wonderful time out in Benicia! We had a Blitz for
the English Elders out there so the missionary work can pick up
a little bit! Things went great! I love it out there! It’s so dang
beautiful!

Sunday! Holy cow! I feel like a scrub we had a member of our District
get sick, so I stayed at the apartment with him, because Elder Delgado
had to give a talk in sacrament meeting! It was really weird not going
to church, because I was with Elder Ford! Especially different as a
missionary! However, we were able to get up and get ready and make it
to sacrament meeting! And then the elders talked all the Priests
into making me pass the Sacrament! Ha ha It was my first time in
Spanish and it went really well! I only had to say it once! 

Well there's a short glimpse of the week! I hope everything is
going great for all you! Remember that I appreciate all your
support and love!

Love you all!
Elder Albertson

 When I leave my iPad somewhere,  this is what it looks like when I

get back! Gotta Love Elder  Tepox!

 Hoodlum! Correlation meeting! 

Quite the Experience

 Love it when you find bullet holes in doors!

This little guy was talking so much trash!

Gotta have fun!

Stake High Councilman! Hermano Sigmiller!