Only 99 Days Left!

Well hello from SUNNY California!! Here are the happenings from the week!

1. We went to Goodwill last week and I think I am now loving thrift stores. All of the sudden I see them EVERYWHERE we go and I have been here for 6 months... hahah

2. Our investigator Malachi accepted a baptismal date. He actually brought it up. He is 11 and so in touch with the spirit. And how he has responsibilities here on earth.

3. We went to a part member families this week. LOVE them! The non member husband said we could come back because it was us. His wife was telling us that he has has lesson before and been to church just not ever happened. We shall see. He was pretty open with us and set a return appointment.

4. We got lemon seeds to grow... they aren't growing. BUT We got lemons from a member and made lemonade... SO good!

5. We were out contacting one day and we ran into these 3 ladies. We got into a really nice talk about Jesus Christ and how we have to found and accept him. They weren't interested in learning BUT we offered service and it just so happens two of them are doing work in their homes! HOPEFULLY we can get in and help them feel of the Spirit and want to learn more :]

6. We went to a members home whose son just came off his mission. This father is NOT active and tried to talk him out of going on his mission. We were there when he got released. Wow. The stake president asked him for his name tags. I was about to cry!! My tag is little and just a black thing I clip on every morning... but not. It is so much more. I'm different. And I was thinking about how blessed I am to be here and get to wer this little black tag. I LOVE it!!

7. We FINALLY got to meet with a couple that hasn't been to church in a LONG time. Found out that he is a return missionary and now agnostic and she hasn't been to church but wants to come. Very interesting how that works out. But she wants us to come back. I think she can feel the void in her life without the gospel and gave us the biggest hug when we left. We shared a scripture about ow the spirit wont lie to us... I know she was listening, hopefully he was too.

8. Beverly a less active we teach has not been to church in YEARS and she came on Sunday!!! It was HUGE!!! She came, participated and everything. She told us that her biggest thing was that she has a really close connection with these two families and they ended up moving and she had no one to connect with. She didn't put the effort in BUT hopefully she enjoyed meeting people and we shall see if she will come back next week.

9. Sister Harker and I were welcoming people to church when we met a man who was visiting from Fuller Seminary College. He was there for a class assignment. It was a PERFECT day to come! We had a recent convert and a return missionary speaking. The whole time we were in Sacrament meeting he was nodding and writing a few notes. One of his notes he had written was "children part of service" In my head I was thinking, well duh! Oh well. When we explained to him that no one was paid he was also very shocked. He was able to come to Gospel principles and he was participating and reading scriptures with us... he had said earlier he would stay then he ended up leaving after gospel principles. He was feeling the spirit. Love it!

10. "The Boys" were born!! I am a proud auntie for the 3rd time on the mission and for the 14th time in my life... how lucky am I?!?

11. Favorite scripture this week... well it is a few. I have been studying the words cheer, cheerful, things like that. One of my goals this week was to be happy. Not just look happy but feel happy. Yes, life is hard but there are so many happy and cheerful things we could focus on. SO. Mosiah 24:15 Tells us to submit cheerfully and patiently to the will of the Lord. Not our will, the Lords. Then in 2 Corinthians 9:7 It tell us that Good loves a cheerful giver. Then in D&C 78:18 (new fav) Ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along.... riches of eternity are yours. We can not bear all things... especially if we try to do it alone! Not happening. But if we let him lead us we can have the riches of eternity... LOVE that blessing. We need to be happy. I know when we teach lessons it is a message of JOY!  Be happy. Life is hard but good.

LOVE YOU ALL!!

Sister Arbogast

Howdy!

The week has been good! Busy and so happy about that!

1. We got lemon seeds in red plastic cups... they were from our lesson on Faith. So we now we also say we have to water our faith. I hope they actually sprout up... I would LOVE a lemon tree!!

2. We had some GREAT lessons this week... with Lydia we talked about Agency and how if we don't know where we want or where we are going, it doesn't matter what we do or path we take. She even had her cousin in town and we read from the Book of Mormon with her too. We read about how the scriptures can bring comfort and closer to Heavenly Father. Our member with us bared really strong testimony and it finally seemed to click with her.

3. One of our new investigators Liz is great. One of her daughters is in a different stake in the area and her grandson keeps teaching her about the church. She loves the strength of youth pamphlet and we watched the Restoration DVD with her this week. She says that she thinks it could totally happen with Joseph Smith seeing God and Jesus Christ. She "goes" to another church. I asked her conversion and she said she hasn't had one. We can tell that she is intrigued by her grandson and all she keeps telling us is how amazed she is at our dedication at such a young age. We were able to bear testimony to her and it was AWESOME! A little side note on her... the Movies risky business, cheaper by the dozen and some Audi commercial from Christmas apparently where he brings gifts inside and the family goes and takes his car... well they were all filmed in her house... No big! hahahaha AND when I met her the first time I was with Sister Foster... she told us this week she was agonizing over taking up our offer on giving service... she said, "I didn't want the other one here. She is too mousy. She just wouldn't be able to cut it here. I even was thinking if there was a way I could have you come and not her."

4. We got to take Jerry on a tour of the chapel this week and he said he could feel what we were saying could be right but he needed to ask and read. His wife is not interested but he is. Its AWESOME!

5. Orrillius doesn't want to meet with us anymore. Which I was sad about but relived about too. He isn't ready. He said some hurtful things which I was more worried about with my companion BUT we cant force him and we will keep going :]

6. Decora spoke more than EVER in a lesson this week on the 10 commandments... it was amazing! She was all into learning the little hand signs and teaching them back to us. She is progressing for sure.

7. President Becerra came to our district meeting this week and role played with Sister Harker and I. He is a great man! He is so involved with us missionaries and going to lessons with the elders. We might even be going to play basketball with him today... he is awesome.

8. People are starting to ask how long I have been in the ward now since it has been a while. Even people from the other ward we share the building with are asking... its kind of funny hhahaha

8. My favorite scripture this week came from preparing a lesson for a less active on hoe we can study the scriptures. It is in Doctrine and Covenants 131:6-It says that we can NOT be saved in ignorance. I LOVE this. We cant have any excuses of "I didn't know." We can lie to the Lord... He knows. And I have to think about that when people reject our messages even after they have had the spirit testify to them. I'm doing my part, spirit has done his part now its their turn.

Love you all!!

Sister Arbogast

Happenings from the week...

Well... here we go again! Another weekly update for you lovely people!

1. Last Monday we went bowling and it was AWESOME!! It was a zone activity and I was hoping to not make too much of a fool while there. First person up.. me. What happens? STRIKE! Oh yeah!! Only happened one other time and it was a spare from the gutter I did before hahah BUT I broke 100... I got 101! Oh yeah! Thank you online bowling classes :]

2. Our presidents wife came out with us to a couple lessons on Monday night. She came to an FHE we were having with couple who is trying to get back into the swing of church and want to start good habits now while their daughter is young.

3. She also came with us to the Stevens. They are a mother and son who call themselves active but never come to church. I think the whole 6 months I have been here I have seen them at church maybe 4 times and one of the times her son was speaking. We taught about agency and how we have to choose the right. Simple as that. We went over a talk from President Monson, The Three R's of Choice. It was really good. Part of me thinks that Sister Stevens just likes to talk. We shall see.

4. We did some service for the Stevens too... well mainly her non member dad. We cut some trees down and pushed/broke down a gazebo. Kind of fun actually :]

5. Since President gave me the sister specialist (sister zone leader) title I got to go to a REALLY amazing training this week! It was on Wednesday and it was all the zone leaders, president and his wife, and two people from SLC in the missionary department for the church. It was really good for me to just soak in everything. Main two things I got was to be personal to the people we are teaching-DUH! But it just really hit me today. Then the next thing was a quote one of the people from SLC said, )teach your purpose, with purpose, on purpose" We have our purpose that Preach My Gospel tells us and making sure we do all three things with it. I got home and wrote it out on colored paper and put it on our wall by our desks. President said we will be going to the trainings, training the sisters, and going on exchanges. Shall be interesting what happens.

6. With our recent convert Cesar we went over the home teaching message for the month, the Abundant life. We were able to read from it and apply the principle to us and how we need to have a better attitude, belief in ourselves and courage. I think he needed it this week too. He was a little down about something. She is still doing great! He has been passing the sacrament and loving his calling as a primary teacher.

7. We have a new investigator, Linda. She is REALLY interested in the Relief Society and the sisterhood of it. We were able to tell her our expectations and really help her feel the love of her heavenly Father. She came on a tour with us and we brought the Relief Society president. She wasn't able to come to church this past Sunday but she said next she would. I hope so. Everything she said she is looking for is within the gospel. Now we get to teach her about it :]

8. Decora come to church!! We went over to have a lesson with her grandma who is already a member and she stayed and said the opening prayer and actually talked when we asked questions... this was HUGE for her. She got a little turned off for a while I think while her brother and his friend were there... but she seems to be back on track.

9. Went to Chinatown yesterday... same as it always is BUT we rode the Metro and it was FUN! We went with a group of missionaries. My companion had never been and wanted to go so bad so we went. She wants to go again too... I dont know about that ahahhaah We will see.

10. My favorite thing that I learned from studies this week was how important questions are. During our district meeting when we talked about questions and then asked a few and critiqued them with each other I was really aware of the importance of how I word my questions and why I ask what I do. I started to think about the questions that I ask myself and how they can be answered with the gospel and so can everyone elses... not just mine. The gospel is so true. I LOVE it!

LOVE YOU!!

Sister Arbogast

Happy New Year!

Well... here are the happenings for the week!


1. We FINALLY went to the taco truck on Fair Oaks... YUM!!! We went with two other elders from the Spanish work. We saw 4 members while we were there too. My companion was so excited to have real Mexican tacos again.
2. One of our investigators whose family and friends ALWAYS bash the church ALWAYS stands up for us! It has been amazing to me how strong she is but when it comes to baptism she says she isn't ready. We taught her this week about obedience and the blessings that come from obeying all the commandments and living the way our Heavenly Father wants us to.
3. We have a new investigator, his name is Malachi. He is in a part member family. His family is not active. His mom is a single mom and struggles. But one if the inactive sons comes now to basketball every week at the church and they came to church Sunday. They woke up and got ready, a 16 and 11 year old. So amazing. We had lessons about the wonderful Restoration. They ask GREAT questions and really love how Joseph Smith said he couldn't deny because he knew that God knew. Such a tender comments from an 11 year old.
4. We met with Brother Brown who is not active but we left him to read in the Book of Mormon and he read! We weren't sure if he would and he did and loved it! We had a great dissucion on Lehi's dream and where we are in it. He said he might come to church next year... so Sunday we shall see.
5. Sharon our less active member... an AWESOME missionary! She brought a friend to meet with us this week. Her friend loved it so much when we invited her back she said yes and that she was bringing another friend! We read with her a talk from President Monson about choice, the great gift of agency :]
6. Orrillius is moving along, hesitant that he isn't ready for baptism yet but that he wants to... Little frustration BUT he had an AMAZING lesson on the Apostasy with him (which was this past weeks topic and role play in District meeting). He really taught us about it as we asked him questions and backed him up with scriptures... I LOVED watching the Spirit just unfold the truth to him.
7. We met with a recent convert that has since gotten into a few hard things and not active. We read from Alma chapter 5 with him... we only got a little into it but I think it is starting to make him think a bit.
8. Happy New Year!!! Sister Zamora and I got Mexican coke in a glass bottle (the best way to drink it apparently) and went to bed at 1040-rebels we stayed up 10 minutes extra. But we woke up again at 12 since our neighbors were firing guns... yep, you read that right. They were doing it randomly till about 1230... then we went back to bed. hahha
9. So transfer calls were this week... but since I am training with a 12 week program we were clear right? NOT!! We got a call... he talks to my companion first and tells her she will be going to "white wash" an area. She they took two elders out and put two sisters in. They talk... then hang up. Uhhh what about me?! I call him back and ask, "Umm you have any news for me?" He goes, "Oh yeah. You will be training again Sister Arbogast. This isn't a normal thing. But President knew that you did such a great job with Sister Zamora that she only needed the 6 weeks and you will be training again." Wait what just happened?! Yes... so here I am... waiting for another new sister... I will pick her up on Wednesday. So I guess you will find more out about her next week! Apparently I am needed in Pasadena since this will be my 5th transfer here, so 6 months down. CRAZY!
10. We gave talks on Sunday!! I spoke about Mark 9:24... my favorite scripture this week :] My companion spoke about Faith proceeds the miracle. She talked about faith and I talked about how we develop faith... afterward I got the BEST reward. A woman came up to me and said that she felt like the talk was written just for her and she was coming back to church and my talk gave her teh little extra that she needed. She also said that her son that I have seen at basketball that our investigators go to who is not active was so engulfed in my talk and thinks that it will help him come to church. Another member said that was the best talk he had ever heard. Now that best part... I remember writing down bullet points to talk about but I hardly remember anything I said in my talk. The spirit is real and I LOVE being able to be a mouth piece for the Lord. WHAT A BLESSING!! I love it!


Love you all!!


Sister Arbogast


OH PS!! I went to the Rose Parade!!! hence the pictures :] It was AMAZING!!!! SOOOO awesome!! I was like in the front as much as I could be!! We even got into where they decorate them on Friday... for free, no big! Smelled SOO good!!