#...uhm...idk

Jello, everyone!

Well this week went by pretty fast and to be honest with you guys not much happened. If you didn't know, my new companion Elder Gutierrez is also the new district leader here. It's awesome to see how he has dealt with all the people in this district, and wow I didn't notice how much every person in the district depends on the district leader here.

AAAnyways, it's quite obvious I don't have much to talk about. Also I forgot to send this weekly email so I am right at the end of my email time here in the Long Beach East Stake family history center. So let me talk a little about the work that is going on here.

Our main investigator is Hermana DeLeon. Her husband, and all the rest of her family are members but she is not a member. She has been meeting with the missionaries for 16 years, so she says. We can only find records dating back to '08. We don't really know the real reason she hasn't been baptized but for that reason we are trying to meet with her often! She's a very nice lady, and she comes to church pretty much every week with her family. 

Lizbeth is a nice single mother who we met and contacted in a complex while we were looking for a former. I felt the spirit tell me to talk to her, while my comp walked right past. She seemed very open to us, and contacted her with the subject of eternal families. She invited us back, and we have taught one lesson with her. Super accepting, super open to hear us.

Some less actives we are working with are the familia Valdez, fam. Cordon, and fam. Camarena. They all have very different stories but we are working with them to get them back to church. Elder Gutierrez understands everything well is centered on Christ. If we gain an understanding of Christ, gain a testimony of him, and learn of him we will want to go to church, take the sacrament, read our scriptures, and pray of our own willingness.

Okay well I think that's all I have for you guys. Keep the faith, stay strong, and I'll see you next week.

I'm still a true miner

I'm eating healthy "eh, what's up doc?"

when it rains a lot...

I don't know...

#what?

Familia y mis amigos

Hello, and how are all of you? I'm so glad that it's P-day. President's day, and preparation day. If I'm not wrong, you guys don't have school or work! So hallelujah!

This first week of my fourth transfer has been a bit wild. Of course I got my new companion Elder Gutierrez. And I completely misjudged him! I should have known better to judge someone from gossip before I meet them! Elder Gutierrez is a very wise man. He will be going home in 3 months, and it's quite certain I will be the missionary to "Kill" him.

Fun missionary slang lesson: if you are companions with a missionary when he finishes his mission, you kill him. Likewise, you are born into the mission when you arrive there.

Elder Gutierrez is a very active guy. After we get back from exercising every morning, he exercises a little bit more! Also the mission has wrecked him physically. He is now unable to drink and eat so many foods because he was so stressed out at the beginning of his mission. He came straight from Costa Rica and learned English on the mission. So, with English being the language of missionaries, he had a tough time at the beginning.

With the transfers, i was put in an area where I had basically never worked before. This area was part of mine when I was part of the trio a week back. So, when transfers came, one of the trio left. The other, Elder Keeler, stayed in the main area (Ximeno A) and I took over the other area with my new companion (Ximeno B). Crazy day for sure. We are having a good time getting to know this new area and the investigators.

The first we are working with is the mother of a part member family. She is not a member, so we are teaching her. However her family is completely active. She has been meeting with the missionaries for 16 years... That's completely insane. We don't know what the problem is. She attends with her family usually. 

We are working also with a few less-active families. The Cordon family has not been to church in 4 years because they lack the desire to do so. The familia Valdez has not been to church in about 3 years. Their son plays soccer on Sundays most of the time and for that, they have not been attending.

Something I encourage you all to do is look at the priorities in your life. Are you putting God first? What is most important to you? I exhort you all to change your priorities. If you put God first, then your family, then everything else behind that, you will see bountiful blessings in your life. You will feel the spirit and God's love so much more abundantly in your life. As I have learned to prioritize and put God first in my life, I have seen my life, mind, and feelings change as I have let God and Christ into my life more.

Remember: everything is about your relationship with God. Ask him if he approves of what you are doing, repent, and move forward. You are his child. He wants to bless you more than you can imagine but you have to open the door and let him in.

--

Elder Horton

First comp selfie

Chess with the Gute

chiquita apartmento

Tongan planner

#Transfers

Hello everyone! It's been a good week as part of this magnificent trio. We have found 4 investigators and I have learned so much. Sadly, we also had to drop Russell and Digna (our main investigator) for lack of progression and ability to attend church for busy lives.

Transfer calls were last night and drum roll.... I am staying in Long Beach East in the Ximeno ward, but going to a different area! Of the trio, Elder Urbina is leaving. He has been in the same area for 11 months. That's crazy long. They are splitting Elder Keeler and I up. Elder Keeler is taking Ximeno A, where he and I were previously working. I am taking over Elder Urbina's area, Ximeno B. My new companion is named Elder Gutierrez.  I don't know too much about him. He's from Costa Rica. I shall let you all know how this goes next week.  I'm willing to bet I will stay with him until he goes home. He has 12 weeks left on his mission.

We also rearranged the areas, based on member concentration so each companionship in the ward has about the same amount of members. Members are verrrry useful in the work. (And it helps that they feed us for dinner)

So we reach the end of the trio life. It was, to say the least, one of the best times of my mission. We were accomplishing a lot of work while at the same time being able to joke around.

As I previously mentioned, we had to drop Russell and Digna. But we picked up a few new investigators. We have one named Ernesto who lives in the same complex. We have taught him one lesson so far, and with the new areas I believe is my only solid investigator.

Uhm.... well this week went by really fast. I'm scared as i'm told it only gets faster. At the end of last month I hit my 5 month mark... 5 months holy cow...

Spanish comes along very well. It was one of my goals this last transfer to really improve my Spanish skills. It was a good thing I was put with Elder Keeler, who only has one more transfer than me. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone this transfer and I'm glad I did it. Even though being in the states makes it harder to learn Spanish, opportunities like this are prime. I did most of the door approaches and tried to speak in Spanish as most as I can. I truly testify of the gift of Tongues. It's not a gift that is sudden and fluent, though that may be some cases. It's a gift that comes with diligent study and prayer. It's a gift that comes as you stay worthy to have the Lord's spirit with you.

I hope you all have a great week, because I know I will too.

Elder Horton in his prime

... Don't ask (the beanie squad)

Elder Keeler sleeping ever so peacefully

Just me being me

Selfie

#that_trio_life

Well hello family and friends! I hope all is well with your individual lives.

This week was quite crazy. I'll start with the craziest part, and the title line. I am now currently in a trio! No, transfers haven't happened yet. What happened is an elder in our district went home for problems with his health. So, President Patterson  had his companion come with us. So for the next week I am with Elder Keeler and with Elder Urbina, District Leader. So far it's been really fun. Elder Urbina is from Spanish Fork Utah and I am his first companion from Utah, even though he goes home in 4 months. We have a ton of fun together because Elder Urbina is a funny guy. He's originally from Chile so he speaks Spanish. It's very nice to be companions with a fluent Speaker again!

I'm sure you all watched the Superbowl, and I heard it was crazy. Initially we planned to go to a Less-active's house and to watch the second half with them, but when the trio came and the District Leader now as my companion, we decided that wasn't the best thing to do. So as we went out and worked, a member sent us updates via text message! Nice job Patriots coming back!

Later last night we passed by a bar with a few drunk guys hanging out outside, wearing Patriots Jerseys. To one of them I said "How bout them Patriots?" and gave him a fist bump. His friend, obviously a Falcons fan, proceeded to cuss me out. What a night.

Also yesterday we saw two black women arguing in a doorway. When one of them finally decided she was done, she slammed the door on the other. This other woman started banging her fist against the window next to the door and after 3 punches, she was successful in bashing in the glass of the window... With her bare fist. ....Long Beach man...

Church was great yesterday. Many of the youth got up to bear their testimonies. Turns out all the youth in the Stake went and did baptisms on Saturday. It was awesome to see all these youth of the branch get up and bear their testimonies about the church and the truth of it.

Something I have learned is the blessings that come from scripture study. I am really learning how we can apply the scriptures to my own life. I think I have always had the mentality of "well these guys are from so long ago and they're just stories" but I find these tender mercies from the scriptures. They teach me how I can improve the quality of my life. I see how many of these scriptural giants dealt with things. One person I have recently read about is the Sons of Mosiah and Ammon. While Ammon was off converting so many people, his brothers were having less luck. In fact, they were cast into prison. I can compare this to my own life because the California Long Beach mission, especially in the thick of Long Beach, can have much less success than other places, like South America. People just aren't as humble and ready to recieve the gospel. So I looked at how those brothers of Ammon dealt with having such little success while they watched Ammon convert thousands. They simply just went to work and began to convert. As such, that is what I must do.

Anyways, It's been a pretty crazy week. Transfers are this next week, and I should find out if I am staying here in Long Beach or going elsewhere.

Hasta luego,

--

Elder Horton

Pictures:

the "tri-force" with study desks (2)

 

breakfast with the ZL's this morning (2)