#transfers4

So transfer calls are in, as of yesterday! Drum roll

Elder Horton is staying in Long Beach, with Elder Gutierrez for another transfer. This transfer, Elder Gutierrez finishes his mission. I will stay one more, to get another companion and then probably transfer out! So I have 3 more months in this area, and we are going to see miracles happen!

This last week not much happened actually! It went by pretty fast and Elder Gutierrez and I just worked off our little butts. We have a couple investigators we hope can be baptized soon. A lot of work must be put in here to see few results.

The Ambrosio family is doing very well. They work a lot, so it is tough to find the whole family at home. Either the mother is working and the kids are home, or the father is working. The mother, Angela, is progressing. She is attending church with her kids and keeping commitments that we leave with her. But the father, Marvin, fails to keep commitments we give him. I had to sit down with him and really explain why we ask for him to keep commitments. This, sadly, is how many of the people in Long Beach are. They are convinced they are too busy to listen to us. They are so deep into their own lives that there's no room for God or Jesus Christ. Even most of the "Catholics" here don't attend church or read the Bible. Yay for the grace of the Lord!

We found some people, former investigators named Josue and Nancy. They were so close to baptism a few years ago, then a death in their family brought them back to their own Christain church. They were basically members, but they were not married. Now they are married and they love our church! They can be baptized so soon! We meet with them Thursday.

Anyways, I'm running out of time. I hope all of you are doing well. keep going in the faith, hold to the Iron rod, and know that God will take care of you. I trust him to keep you all safe while I cannot, while I am out here serving him.

Con Amor,

Elder Horton

Pictures:  Trash people leave in their yards...

#baptisms

Hello friends and family!

I realize that subject line may be a little misleading from what I actually mean, so let me clarify. In our branch of Ximeno, there are 3 companionships. 2 of those companionships had a baptism this last Sunday, but not my companionship. I had the privelage of seeing 2 women enter the waters of baptism, as the first baptism this branch has had since last July. Though Elder Gutierrez and I have not had a baptism yet, seeing these 2 women be baptized gave me a thirst to get that. I imagined all of my investigators in white, and oh how I want that. Unfortunately, everything does not go my way. We have difficulties, people have doubts, and they quit investigating the Gospel when they don't get their answers immediately. That's not how God works. We have to have trust in his timing. People here are full of pride and their hearts are like stones. But my job as a missionary is to break that stone open, so these people come to God with a broken heart and receive Christ into their life.

I went on a really good exchange with another Elder in my district, Elder Keyser. He's from Texas and he's a convert to this gospel. It was very great to hear him teach.

Anyways, I regret to say I don't have much time this week to email more. Just know everything is well for Elder Horton in Long Beach!

Love,

Elder Horton

Tag Picture (Long Beach Yacht Club)

Baptism I got to attend

Splits with Elder Keyser

Typical meal

Subway with Elder Gutierrez

Some hammock time!

#alive

Hello all family and friends.

I am short on time this week, but that's okay because it was not very eventful.

I just wanted you to all know I'm alive.

We had some new investigators attend church this week. It was only the mother and the 3 kids, as the father had to work. In fact, something crazy happened.

We arranged for an hermana to pick them up and bring them to church. While our investigator family was getting ready for church, the kids were ready and standing outside and the mother was finishing up. She entered a room and the door slammed behind her. Figuring it was one of her kids, she kept going on getting ready. When the time came, she tried to open the door but couldn't for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the kids were standing outside scared when this hermana came to pick them up. They told her they saw a random shadow slam the door behind their mom. This awesome hermana calmed the kids and helped the mother open the door.

If that's not crazy, and a personification of Satan trying to stop people from following Christ then I don't know what is.

We moved apartments today... again. The old one was small, run down, and dirty. This new apartment is bigger, newer, and very nice. Hardwood floors and a window view of Pacific Coast Highway. 

Long Beach, baby!

"but first, let me take a selfie."

my companion in a batman onesie

moving a fridge down 2 flights of stairs is not easy

Pacific Coast Highway view

Lots of fog

#saynotocrackkids

Kids listen up. Stay away from drugs. They ruin lives.

With that gentle reminder in the form of a greeting, Hola mis amigos!

This last week I hit an important milestone. My 6 month mark!! It's weird to think I get to do everything I just did, 3 times again. Also I feel I have some unusually large numbers for these last 6 months. Every missionary who reads this will hate me for a second because I am counting the MTC but bear with me. In these last 6 months I have had 5 different companions, and lived in 6 different spaces. Still 0 baptisms but that will change soon ;P. Count up my apartments, and it's actually 5 but that brings me to my next point...

We are moving this week (again). The apartment we live in is very small, not kept up, and has bad management. Of course us being missionaries we don't like to complain. But Elder Gutierrez saw how bad of an apartment it is and took initiative to change that. So we are moving on Wednesday to a space on PCH! (Pacific coast Highway)

This week went by super fast. By the time it came to Saturday, I was super surprised. Not only the weeks are going by quickly, but this transfer is already halfway over and it flew by. Elder Gutierrez and I are putting in hard work over here in Long Beach. We found 8 investigators this past week, most of those in the form of families. families are golden because we teach how they can be together forever, and who wouldn't want that? Part member families are also super golden because those investigators have an immediate support system while they investigate the Gospel.

In light of that aspect I return to the subject line. Elder Gutierrez and I found on the member list 3 children who are less-active members. Their parents are not members, so we saw that part member family and went to visit them last night. We knocked on the door, behind which we heard music playing. It opened and out walked a man with massive, purple puffed up lips, mumbling in broken-up Spanish but still understandable. Still learning, I thought this man was drunk! He invited us to pass into his house but my wise companion knew better. He kindly rejected this man's consistent invitations, and tried to tell him we will come back later. After 5 minutes and a prayer with this man we walked away. Is it bad that finding people like this is normal on my mission?? Elder Gutierrez was quick to point out to me that man wasn't drunk. (I thought I smelt alcohol) He was high off crack which is way more addicting than marijuana.

Besides that fun story, we come across people multiple times a day who are either mentally ill or high off some drug. I am able to accurately tell the difference from good and bad marijuana by smelling it.

Welcome. To. Southern. California.

zone leader exchange

Cute complex sign

This captures 80% of our apartment

our board

District leader map