The Gospel is the BOMB!

The temple was AWESOME and I thought of every single one of you in the celestial room. Isn't this gospel the BOMB!?!? 

I feel like it has been forever since I e-mailed last week. We have had lots of really cool things happen to us here. I recently called Elder W. to ask him to zone-mail me some things that I left in Fox Hills, to find that they have 5 baptismal dates set for people that I taught!!! I hope I can go back to see the baptisms! P. and her friend M. are both getting baptized, as well as two of their kids and a guy that Elder D. and I found named J.! Super cool! It is such an amazing feeling to know that the seed I first planted has taken root and is growing away! That made my day when I found out!:D Now to this area....here goes the overload.

We drove by Paramount Studios the other day, and our zone leaders saw Kobe Bryant!  Weird!

The other morning I was thinking about how impossible it would have been to make up the Book of Mormon.  Try to imagine yourself doing it... it is 531 or so pages, written in Reformed Egyptian, has incredible detail about an ancient civilization, has no contradictions to the Bible, relates to everyone who reads it, and was translated in like 60 days! Not to mention that a bajillion  (yes, bajillion) people will try and critique it, so it has to withstand everything. When I tried to imagine myself doing this, I realized that no man could. The only answer is that it was brought about through the power of God!

Our investigator O. has a baptismal date set, but we are unsure if she will make it because she’s in the hospital. We hope to get back to her soon.

Elder C. almost started his tie on fire while trying to burn the fuzzies off with a lighter...:D That was a classic moment! My favorite moment of the week happened after an appointment fell through. We were walking in the hard, desensitized streets of L.A. when a large, raised SUV passed us. A very big, tough-looking man was inside jamming out to Little Mermaid (“Under the Sea”) with the windows open wide! It was hilarious!  I couldn't help but laugh to myself. Yet again, another hug and boost from my Heavenly Father.:)

We were walking by a house and we decided to knock it. Before long, we had 5 or 6 young kids crowded around us, all raising their hands, eager to ask and answer questions about Jesus. It was an incredible experience! After a little while, the father came out and asked us to leave very impolitely. The spirit of the visit changed so abruptly it was sad. Even though an older daughter protested that we were talking about God, he said that he "didn't care". We did manage to give them a few pamphlets with our name and number on them before we left. One day in the future they will remember us and the experience they had, and then they will be baptized!

Our new game plan consists of praying over a list of former investigators that we compiled last week. We then plan 4 or 5 names into our schedule for the next day. So far we have found very few of the formers, but we keep finding new people in the area where the formers used to live! :D It is awesome! In the next week, we have 6 return appointments through this method! I also want to pray over a map to decide what streets to tract, and then the actual doors, too!  Elder C. and I both feel that something great is coming. We are more focused and devoted, so we are ready to have people progressing! I can't wait to teach the 6 people we found. At least one of them is going to progress and be baptized, if not more!:D I hope to report back with great news next Monday! I love you! How is your mission going? Life is a mission; we all need to serve well and share the gospel with all! I love you more-a!