Have a Fantastik Week

Hello Everyone!

Well this week was great. Kind of. Monday we had dinner with the *** family. They are super cool. Hopefully they will get sealed soon. She wants to get sealed before she has her baby in May. They both have their Endowments, but because of custody issues, they have not been able to get sealed. So that's a work in progress. But super cool family. Tuesday was interesting. At English class, the Assistants to the president just showed up to see how classes were going. So weird and unexpected. But after class later that night we got a call from the zone leaders saying we don't have to go to class anymore. Apparently the office had no idea that we lived 40 min from the church. So they cut 2 trips a week and I’m very thankful. Wednesday I had my 6-month training. (still weird to think I’ve been out this long). That was really good. I almost enjoyed it more than Zone conference. It was mostly about just making new goals and progressing in your mission. Because I have seen it a lot, after 6-8 months missionaries just stop progressing and just stay at the same level for the rest of the mission.  So anyways we made some good goals and mission visions for ourselves and for the mission. Thursday was long. We met with*****, he’s doing alright. But his psychosis is still a big problem anyways we talked and invited him to church he said yes. We got a ride and everything and then he called a little before and said he couldn't come..... Anyways he still has a lot of potential.

Friday we had district meeting, and guess who showed up again... yeah the AP's otra ves. So now were just super confused why they keep coming. We think it will get solved tonight as we have a zone conference call with president. I wonder how that is going to go. After the meeting I went on splits. Back to my old area.... super weird and I kind of miss it.  Mostly we were at ***'s house to eat dinner and then pickup some other stuff after our lessons. O well. Fun and quick. Saturday Was MY BIRTHDAY!!!!! I didn't tell many people it was my birthday so nothing crazy happened. but on our way back to the apartment after coordination, Elder Schwalger and Elders Nelson and Amacher wanted to go to Home town buffet and eat lunch/dinner to celebrate my birthday. So yeah that's what we did. So that has been my week.

A new bishopric. WOW sounds super great. And it sounds like you had a fun time with the kids for a day. Amber sent me and email about her quick trip.  Looked fun. What else, anything crazy or new in Mesa, or AZ. I heard it is supposed to rain a couple of days here in LA so I’m not really looking forward to that. Oh.. So last night as we were riding home, fog moved in, like it usually does, but it was thick. Like the times up at the cabin and you couldn't see anything. Super crazy and fun to ride in. But it has been super foggy lately, almost every day. What else.... OH and I figured out how to solve the Rubik's cube again. Elder Cisneros gave me one before he left and I finally figured it out again. My companion has taught me some new songs on the ukulele. So we jam out sometimes, I’m going to see if he'll teach me some guitar. But I hope everything is going good with you all! I love you and have a great last week of February. 

Love

Elder Hollingshead

Well everyone!

 So today is going to be quick. All the libraries are closed again, so I’m here in office depot using one of the display computers.... But I’m getting tired of standing. Anyways. This week has been alright, I’m so tired. We still haven't found new investigators, *** dropped us yesterday. That was hard... we never found him for 2 weeks and when we finally found him he acted like he didn't know who we were and also told us not to come by because we he was offended and didn't want to change. Other than that we have ****, who has phcosis and it’s really interesting. His mom wants us to come by everyday just to talk about him and she’s really pushy. I really don't care for her that much but he’s our only investigator and our only hope. The *** family is doing alright. We talked about the priesthood and he understood a lot more, but they got sick this week and couldn't make it to church... also we found a less active family this week. Familia ***. Super awesome, I don't understand why they are less active. The dad is super funny and joking and they want to feed us 2 times this week. So we can’t complain.

So we also have tried to contact referrals, but no ONE IS EVER HOME! grrr.. but one of them is a super awesome family and we have found the dad a few times but never his wife who is actually the referral from LA English. Hopefully we can contact them this week and start teaching. Yesterday we also receive a referral from a member that sounds super great. So we have deep faith we will have a great week. That's what we have talked a lot about as a mission is deep faith and Prayers.

On Wednesday we had Zone conference and it was good, but didn't start out will. We were 10 min. late. The zone leaders were going to pick us up but super early and of course the day we need to wake up early is the day our phone turned off in the night and we didn't wake up. So... we called them and they said they would get other elders to come and pick us up. and they came a little too late and then we got stuck in LA traffic. but over all I was a good zone conference. Friday we went on splits and I was with Elder Marin's greeny. It was fun, and we had a pretty good day. and I realized how much my Spanish has grown since MTC days. So we had fun and visited the Sepulveda family. They also gave us some food on last min notice. Super nice and fun family, but never come to church....

 Well I hope you are all doing great in Mesa, or wherever you are at. If you didn't know Brayden got his mission call to Nicaragua. He leaves in the beginning of April. And he's going to Mexico MTC! So I’m excited for him. And that's right Sam just left this week! How fun. Bytheway thanks for B-day card, and money. OH and If you are reading this Kara and Sis Ludlow. Thanks for the Valentine’s Day chocolates they were delicious! I love you all and Hope you have a great week! Keep me in your prayers, and thanks for all you do!

Love

Elder Hollingshead

New Transfer

Well everyone, I’m tired! It’s been a long week. My Companion is awesome! Elder Schwalger, he’s a Samoan from Hawaii. He’s super funny and happy. He has a ukulele also so we jam out sometimes at night. His Spanish is awesome and he’s just cool all around. It’s funny because all he wears at night is a lavalava, or the skirt thing, it’s funny but it’s completely normal for him. Anyways so yeah transfer day we woke up at 5 because my comp had to be there early for a trainer training. He’s not very happy he’s training again, but such is life. So I basically moved 4 miles south of where I was. My area is from the 110 to prairie and imperial hwy, to Rosecrans. Yeah even bigger than my last. Oh and we live at the bottom corner and everything is up hill from us. Its miserable going up some of the hills. and my new companion has a fixie road bike, so no gears and he looks like he is going to die going up those hills. The worst part to me is that the church building is 40 min away on bike. Each way. So times that by 5 times a week and we do a lot of riding. It’s horrible. We’re trying to see if the other elders can give us a ride, because it would make life much easier. but there was a meeting a while back, and president said that zone leaders and district leaders that have cars should not feel obligated to give rides, so in other words, our zone leaders and Elder Egbert don't give rides to us. I wasn't going to complain but over and hour almost every day of biking gets long.

So the new area. 2 other investigators that we still have not been able to contact yet. and that’s about it. There are a lot more active families, but at the same time a lot of less actives. and a big problem around here is that no one is ever home. Literally no one for the whole week we got 3 less active visits and 1 other lesson. It looked like we did nothing but we were really trying. So it’s hard, we hope to find some new investigators. But there are a few super nice Members, The ***, a super old couple that always gives us dang good food, and then a recent convert family the ***, and no that is not a Hispanic name. He is actually Hawaiian, and she is Guatemalan, he hardly know Spanish and she hardly knows English, but somehow they are married, they are willing and happy to serve. But this area has been pretty dead for a while so I think it might be hard to get it back up. But we have deep faith it will.
Other than that nothing much has happened this week. Oh wait, yeah so one of those 40 min bike rides we did in the rain! It was absolutely amazingly wet! I was soaked and cold and then we had to ride back. At least it wasn’t raining then, but it was super cold and windy. So I hope that doesn’t happen again. Anyways I love you all, and hope you have a good week! You are all in My Prayers and keep your prayers up for me!

Love

Elder Hollingshead

Hello Everyone!

 

Well this week has been Great! So when I got to this area in October, it was really dead, the only investigator was **** but now we have so many investigators. ITS AWESOME! And this last week it was so hard to plan and meet with all of our investigators. But Of course, as soon as it’s a golden area, I get transferred. Yep I’m leaving this area....  :( Super sad, but not going too far. I will be whitewashing an area in this ward, in the same district! So as my comp says, I’m fake white washing. So yeah I will be going there with some other elder I don't know and my companion will be Training in this area again! He’s not excited at all. Before the call last night, I was 90% sure he was leaving and I was staying. But the complete opposite. So as my companion says, he was called to the mission of Inglewood 2nd, not LA. After this transfer he has been in the ward for just about a year. It’s crazy. So basically I packed everything up last night except my clothes. and yeah ready to go tomorrow morning. I’m super sad but, I will still be in the same ward and district. What else happened this week.... oh only a completely new bishopric. Yeah so the new bishop, is the son of a previous bishop, who was in another ward and was asked to come back to the Spanish ward to be bishop. I don't understand, because there are a few people in this ward that are fully capable. But I’m not Stake president so I have no say. Then, Bro. Martinez is first Counselor, and then someone else I don't really know is 2nd. So yeah the bishop and first counselor are only 29, and both of their wives had their baby this week. So let’s just say it was a hectic week for them.

Other than that, *** and *** came to church! We did not expect it at all, in our last lesson we invited them and they said they would come... sometime. The only thing is that their 2 year old, is a little crazy and they had a hard time keeping him occupied and quiet during sacrament, but we explain that there is nursery for the rest of church, and he was great for the rest of the time. We met with *** finally and she is fine, but still she hasn't come to church. but she still has lots of potential. We met with *** and she has lots of questions and some of which we really don't know how to answer.  Basically we had lunch with her and then, taught the restoration and the book of Mormon and then she just asked more questions for an hour. owell. Other than that, nothing much new has happened, just crazy busy. We have had lots of new changes with the English class. Now it’s on Thursday night not Saturday, but Tuesday we had soo many people come to class. It was full! Like Packed!!!! Super exciting. 

 So fasting works, and the church is true! So we had our fast for rain, and literally at 5-6 it started pouring and it rained for most of the night last night. Thankfully we were at a baptism and Ivan was giving us a ride so he just gave us rides the rest of the night. But it was good to have rain. I hope it goes your way and you get some too in AZ. So I have seen so many miracles here in LA and I hope to continue to see miracles. I hope my new area will be great. I know this area has struggled a little bit in the past. But Elder Cisneros said before he goes home he wanted to change this area and make it better than it was. And he did that, even though it’s not a perfect area, there are now investigators in the area and it has lots of potential. So I have Deep Faith that we will do great there. Oh and also I heard, ( not for sure) that my new companion has been out for a year or so, but... he requested to be junior comp his whole mission, so I might be the senior comp, or well just both be juniors. Either way it’s weird to think I’ve been out for almost 6 months now. Time Fly's when in the service of the Lord.

I love you all and keep you in my prayers all the time. Keep up the good work with missionary work and taking people to the temple. That is something that I wish I could have here, a Temple open house, but there is a visitor center so it’s good enough. Have a great week!

 

Love Elder Hollingshead

 

ps. so that’s me and Ivan, and then the group is Ivan, elder Cisneros (scarf) and elder Wilson.

Hello Everybody!

Well this week has been pretty good. We found 2 new families this weekend, and they are awesome and have a ton of potential. One stopped us on the street and told us they wanted to feed us, so we set a time, but had no idea who they were. We then found their number in the phone under former investigator, and they are awesome and have had lots of contact with the church. They have 4 kids and then the dad has 2 others. The other family is awesome too. The Husband does not have a ton of interest, for right now. She has lots of question and knows a lot about the bible, but not in a bashing way, she just doesn’t understand it. We found, not really, this family by a text. Someone from somewhere sent the Information, from another mission to ours and it finally got to the right place. We called them up because it said "some of the family are members, the others are interested, want a blessing". We called and set a time up later that night, and they wanted a blessing on their home. So we get there finally (gave wrong street) and we find out the family situation. One couple is Very Active, and very strong in the church, they were visiting and the wife is a member, and they were at her sister’s house.  Basically we talked for a long time, and then the Active Brother, gave a blessing for the house, and then came an hour and a half discussion about religion. This is a super prepared family.

Other than that nothing much new has happened. We thought we might get Ipads on Friday. Salt lake was here and they called an emergency meeting with all leadership. So I stayed with another elder and we went and tried to contact our referrals. but no iPad, just a basic meeting. owell. The Zone Leaders changed English class, from Tuesdays and Saturday to Tuesdays and Thursdays. We weren’t very happy because they just took another night, which is the best time to contact people. Very hard because Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday are already taken now. Owell we will make things work out.

Well I know this email is short, but we have ran out of time. The library is under computer updating, so we had to come to the Church building again. I Love you all, and I love this gospel. I'm so glad I’m here on a mission in LA. I'm grateful for my challenges and lessons I’m learning here. I hope you are all doing well.

I love you and pray for you each day. Stay strong and Be Happy! :)

Love,

Elder Hollingshead

Referrals!

Hola!

 

Well this week has been pretty good. Lots of weird things happened. But super cool things. But be glad you’re getting this email. ITs MLK day and all libraries are closed today... so we asked Zone leaders what to do. they said talk to The AP's asked them and they told us to go to an Internet café or something... the nearest one is On Hawthorne and Lennox, basically on the other side of the zone, and it cost 5 or 6 bucks and hour... we almost weren't going to do email because of the pain it would be. but they told us we could go to the church building and use the clerk’s office computers. So yeah it’s a blessing. So let’s see... Wednesday we were walking down the street and all the sudden some white guy from across the street started yelling "Elders...Elders come over here." so we thought he was going to ask for some money but no... He’s a member, but he has been using drugs for many years and he is in rehab right now. He wanted a blessing so we gave him a blessing right there on the side of the road. It was super crazy but I could tell that even though it was loud and hard at this time, he could feel the spirit. We gave him a book of Mormon and the address of the ward building. so I hope he comes back. We went and visited ***. He’s doing well, but on the weekends he’s super board. He doesn't work for 2 almost 3 days and he usually works at night so he has absolutely nothing to do other than church and stuff. So usually when we go we spend a lot of time just talking and visiting because he has no visitors and really no one to visit.

We had interviews with president and they were good. No I do not need to get a side bag. He gave us some things to work on and one was shoe shinning. Apparently some missionaries never do it. I usually do it every other week but now I’m trying to do it every other day or so. President says he shines his shoes every day, I’m not sure I really believe it. We weren't able to visit ***... she said she was going to call Thursday, but she forgot and we forgot to call her so... nothing happened.  but we did visit *** (not the Recent convert) He and his buddy are super prepared. Although Marcos might be a member already, he said he was baptized when he was young. Anyways they are ready and we will teach them tomorrow, we had a long visit last night as lesson 0 how to begin teaching. Saturday night we went and visited ***. It has been 2 weeks and we were afraid she was not interested anymore. But no she is still interested, she and everyone who lives there was super sick and that's why we couldn't meet with her. She should be coming to the FHE tonight. Other than that it was a normal week, lots of LA English ads, lots of contacting, LOTS of referrals, we got 6 yesterday and that's not including the others we have received throughout the week. Its crazy hard to keep up with them.

Yesterday was a little different. It was stake conference, but it was State conference, or at least Southern CA. it was good but super short, it ended 25 mins early. But it was good, it was weird being there listening in English, and with a bunch of white people. But The Stake center was packed full of people, which is good.

Thanks for the package, yep I got my tire fixed and it works great now. I have brakes and it coasts a little better so all is good. Thanks for the CD's there were 2 duplicates of cds you already sent me so I just gave it to my companion. Sounds like you have been busy working at Grandmas house. Sometimes I do miss doing all the odd jobs around the house and fixing things. Has it been Warm in Mesa? It’s been almost 80 if not warmer some days here. And since Southern California is in a drought right now, there is going to be a special Fast for February for rain. Reminds me of the time we did that and the next week it rain... A Lot. Transfers are the first week of February, and I’m pretty sure and also my companion that he’s leaving. Any ways President hinted at that during his interview.

 I hope all is going well and Remember that I pray for you every day! I’m Glad Ryan passed his test! Keep up the good work and Have a Great week.

 Love

Elder Hollingshead

Hola!

Pues.... Elder Marin was sick for the first half of the week. So that made things really hard, but he is back all better now! It has just been a long week, but a fun week. So Elders Egbert and Williams had a baptism last week, and he got confirmed this week. Also from the same area, they had another baptism this week, and so since I’m basically the only piano player in the ward, I get to go to all of the baptisms. So yeah that’s always fun. Also yesterday before the baptism, we ate a La Familia Martinez, he made ribs, and they were good, but Dad I do have to say, you make some pretty dang good ribs. Owell, Tuesday we contacted a referral, she is super awesome! her best friend from Mexico was a member and got sealed and within a few years after she got married, her friend died and she has had no contact with the church ever since. She used to go to all the activities and youth conferences. She is awesome, the only problem is that she says the only time she is available is Mondays in the morning. First of all that’s during studies, and second it’s p-day and we usually don’t finish everything till 3or so. But she canceled this morning so we will try to call and explain our situation and try to meet another day.

Wednesday we visited a few less actives, but it was slow because elder Marin just did not feel good at all. Owell. Thursday we got a lot of advertising in for LAE, basically the Zone leaders and President said advertise or LAE goes away. And it’s true after the Holidays everything picked up a little, but the last Saturday was a little pathetic. casi ninguna persona came! owell. Friday we had Zone training, and there are a few new rules. So apparently like 1 or 2 weeks before I left home they changed some rules for Elders Dress and Grooming. my packet said dark colors and suits. now it can be any conservative color, including tan and light grey. but that really doesn’t apply. but they also changed a worldwide mission rule. NO backpacks. nada... only shoulder/side bags.  they want us to carry as little as possible. We have Interviews with President on Wednesday so I’ll ask him what I should do, because shoulder bags are probably the worst I could do to my back. I’m not trying to be rebellious ( like my companion who does not like this rule at all) but at the same time I don’t want to mess my back up and be in pain so.... we’ll see. President also wants us to de junk our apartments. Good idea I think because there is a lot of things in our apartment. so that’s what I’ll be doing today.  I went on splits with The Zone leaders. Elder Haro came here in our area with me. It was good we met with **and *** and taught the restoration, and also *** and *** about the book of Mormon. So we have some good investigators now. Hopefully we can meet with them and teach them more. I learned a lot and In the PPI with Elder Haro, he helped me set some goals, personal and companion, and so that was good. he says since the last time he went on splits with me a month ago, my Spanish has improved. that made me feel a little better, but even then I have noticed that my Spanish has improved. I understand about the same amount, but I can speak what I want to say a little easier.

 

But yeah. Thanks for sending that stuff, I’ll be getting it this Friday, hopefully. Oh and yeah Saturday night as we were visiting the ***’s, our bikes were right outside the door and all the sudden one of my tires, completely deflated. the nozzle basically tore off and then as it started to deflate my patch failed and it just let all the air out. thankfully we had an extra tube from the broken bike, so we asked if they could take us to the apartment real quick and pick up the tube.

 Well, I missed all the tree pruning... Sounds fun! yeah, people ask me how big my house and yard is and everything and then I start listing the # of trees we have and they are just amazed. mostly because I have a yard that fits all this... California is expensive that’s all I’m going to say. and there’s no such thing around here as a yard. if you have a big enough lot, there’s an apartment or 2 in the back that people rent out. Owell, I don’t plan on living here after my mission anyways, as of right now at least. Oh and so the ***, recent converts that couldn’t have kids, gave elder marin a birthday present, and they also gave me a ukulele. He asked me what else do I play and I said ukulele. He asked what it was, and then said. I’m going to get you one. ... and that’s exactly what he did. Let’s just say he has no kids, so all the missionaries, the 12 of us in the ward are his kids and he spoils us all.

Thanks again for all your prayers. I hope everything is going alright for all of you. I pray for you all the time. I know this is the Lords work, and it is moving forward faster than ever. I hope you have all made some good new year’s goals and I hope that you all especially read the book of Mormon. I love you all!

 

Elder Hollingshead

pics... my ukulele, and *** riding a mini bike... I think he’s 15 at heart.



The Ukulele Bro. *** gave me!

Bro. *** is 15 at heart!