Elder Parker Albertson- California Santa Rosa Mission: June 9, 2014

Hola Familia/ Amigos

Holy Cow! I'm not really even sure where to begin for this week! To be honest we saw so many miracles and small blessings that I don't even know if I will be able to remember them all to share! There have been so many miracles come our way as we continue to strive to be obedient and contact our 20 souls to save daily! It has pretty much become a standard here in our mission! However, it has also been a miracle and blessing because, we were promised by an Apostle that as we continue to strive to do so our Baptisms will Double!

Monday, we had a great day! We were able to go to the field here in Vallejo! It’s called Dan Foley! And is across town a little bit, but it was great! We were able to have a lot of fun playing some football and some Elders got to swing a baseball with some college players from Stanford University that were here visiting family! It was pretty wild because they were crushing the ball outta the park with a wood bat! One of them told us, he is being scouted by the Marlins! We will see if he actually gets drafted! He added all of us as friends on Facebook! We invited him to church he said he will check it out before he goes back to Stanford! I would love to see him here!

Tuesday we had a wonderful Zone meeting! The Zone leaders asked us to participate in it as well! So we were able to teach a pretty fun and exciting part! We taught " Be Bold like a Lion" When we were preparing to teach this part, I had a thought come into my mind about how we should show a clip of Narnia and how the Lion goes to the top of the hill and roars! Loud!! And everyone recognizes it! Well we got permission from President Alba, and we showed it and applied everything from that 45 second clip, to being a missionary and how we need to be Bold like Lions when we invite our investigators or less actives to repent! It was so good! The Zone leaders were thrilled and impressed!

We were also able to go on exchanges on Tuesday! It was interesting being with my son again in the mission! Elder Dunlap seems to be doing great! It’s weird to be with companions again! The relationship just doesn't seem to be there anymore! Maybe that's just how I felt! Either way, exchanges went really well, and we were able to have a great day! We had a lot of fun, contacting tons of people and teaching lessons! I got flowers to make Agua de Jamaica that night as well! I think its called Hibiscus Juice! I'm not too sure if I spelled that right! However, that is definitely the best juice I have ever had! I am not cooking it in the apartment!

Wednesday we were able to teach several lessons as well! We were able to teach a recent converts daughter! However every time we try and teach her it just seems like she just wants to bash with us! So we are most likely going to drop her this Wednesday and we will allow the Lord to soften here heart and see where she will go from there!

Thursday! Nothing really too exciting except for the fact that our garbage disposal broke! It was stinking really bad so I decided I would cut up a lemon that we got for free, and then put it down the drain! Well I’m not really too sure why but it took the lemon great, but when I went to send some fat from some chicken I was cooking at lunch, it just wouldn't work anymore! The conversations that we had with our manager were pretty interesting! He is horrible, and so disrespectful towards us as missionaries!

Friday! We had a pretty funny night! Here it begins! So Friday night, while we were in a lesson at about 8:30 I realized our phone had died! So I just asked Mario, our less active, if he could hitch us a ride, after we left a quick spiritual message! So as we left the house we were headed home, and I noticed a car that looked very similar to the car that Elder Wright and Elder Carrillo drive! (Our Zone Leaders, who we live with) Sure enough as we passed them, I noticed that it was them! Ha ha I'm not too sure why, but they are both really scared of the area, probably because they are new! So I figured we would freak them! The fun begins! Mario is driving and Elder Delgado is in the front! I tell Mario to follow them, so we can get them to stop and they can just give us a ride, because they had come looking for us, however since our phone had died they couldn't get a hold of us! I told Mario to speed up, and get on their rear end. As he did, I told him to begin flashing them, and honking! Getting their attention! Now picture this, we are also driving a 1991 Acura Legend with 24 inch rims! Lowered to the ground! Definitely looking like Cholos with the seats leaned back and everything! We also then began to swerve and really freak them out! As we came to a red light, we were trying to get their attention and we pulled up next to them to look over and have Elder Wright pretty much sitting on the floor, and Elder Carrillo ducking his head! OMG! I couldn't do anything but laugh! They thought a bunch of Cholos were going to kill them so the Cholos could get initiated into their gang or something! They were almost crying! Man we got them good!

Saturday we taught a several lessons and had a great blitz for the Zone leaders for the fact that they got whitewashed into there area!

Sunday, we had 10 investigators who we thought were going to come to church and we ended up with 0! This next week we will definitely be talking a lot about the importance of church attendance! However, Last night I freaked everyone out in the apartment again so bad! Right as everyone was going to bed, and about to fall asleep, my bed is right by the window so I look out the window and watch all the crazy things going on in the streets to fall asleep! I yelled out of nowhere, LOOOK CHOLOS! HIT THE DECK! Oh my goodness! I have never seen 3 missionaries get to the floor faster in my life! Ha ha!!! Then we all just laid there laughing our heads off! Talking about how if there was a drive by I would be the first one living with my Father in Heaven!

It has been a great week! I love you all, and thank you all so very much for your support!

Love you!

Love, Elder Albertson