#miraculousweek

Hey friends and family! So I'll admit I wasn't planning on writing a weekly to you all since I will see you in person soon, but this week was just so fantastic that I want to tell you all about it.

It feels that the Lord saw it fit to bless me with a great week this last week. It's almost as if he was saying, "well done Elder Horton. Have a great week." So let me tell you all about it! 

The highlight by far is that Angie was finally baptized! She has been waiting such a long time and waded through a little bit of adversity and affliction but she made it to the waters of baptism. After asking her how she felt after her baptism, she said "extremely wet"  But it was fantastic to see her take that one step further towards returning home to her father in heaven. 

On Tuesday, all of us missionaries returning home soon had the chance to attend the temple with President and Sister Patterson. We went to the Newport Beach temple! And though small, it is extremely beautiful.

On Thursday, I had my departing interview with President. It was a fantastic experience as we counseled over my mission and my future plans. He's a man who radiates from the spirit and someone who I respect a lot.

On Saturday, we had a mission wide conference and Elder Quentin L. Cook of the quorum of the 12 apostles came to visit! I've had the rare occasion of meeting 2 apostles visit my mission as a missionary. He gave a lot of great insights to missionary work and Preach My Gospel, as he was a big part in bringing it to pass.

Well that's my amazing week. I hope you all enjoyed reading. As previously mentioned, if you would like to see me in person, there will be a small open house at my home this Saturday the 18th from 6-8pm. Then, that next day I will be reporting to my home ward about my mission at 1pm. The address is 10200 South 3200 West, South Jordan.

Con Amor,

Elder Horton 

My District

#LastWeek

Hey all!

I'm gonna start to sound like a broken record here...

Angie didn't get baptized... again. We are hoping for this next week. That way, I would have a baptism on my last Sunday in the mish! How awesome!

On Tuesday we had interviews with the mission president. This was my last regular interview with President Patterson and it was bittersweet. Sometimes it's hard for me to accept that my time here in SoCal has come to an end, but it's simply a part of life! These 2 years have been such a magnificent experience and I can't trade them for anything!

I went on an exchange with Elder Wolfenbarger this last week. He's from Salt Lake and has been out for about a year. He was in Nicaragua until they pulled him out 3 months ago. We had a great last exchange of mine! We taught a lot and just had a fun time.

Well.. this next week I should have more to report on. So, until next week my friends!

Con Amor,

Elder Horton 

#BoringWeek(s)

(July 30th)

Hey all! You may or may not have noticed, (probably not) but I didn't send a weekly email last week. I'll include last week's email in this one.

So, both of these weeks have been very focused on the work. They haven't been too eventful. Simply a lot of "grinding" aka finding, teaching and baptizing.

This last Tuesday, we had Zone Conference. It felt weird, knowing that this was my last. We talked a lot about teaching skills, and how we can all improve as teachers. I learned a lot! Man, I thought I was a good teacher up until this conference. That's when I learned that I am actually a trashy teacher and have a lot to improve on. That's the great things about zone conferences. They are very humbling and help us realize what more we can do as missionaries.

That's really all I will include for this email. Y'all have lots of reading material from the grand Elder Horton now.

By the way! If you all will be in town, my family and I will be hosting a little get-together for all those who would like to come say hello to me after my mission. It will be held Saturday the 19th from 6-8pm, at my house. If you need the address, let me know.

Happy Monday!

Elder Horton

(July 23rd) 
Hola familia y amigos!

How are you all? I hope good.

I'm also doing well. I titled this email Boring Week because if truly wasn't that eventful! My companion and I were able to work all week without many distractions. For every missionary that's almost a dream.

We have been working hard to help those we are teaching to come to church! This comes through not only inviting, but committing! Haha, sometimes these things are so simple but easy to forget. Even for a missionary who has been out for almost 23 months ;D.

So our friend Angie has made a lot of progress. She's still really excited to be baptized, and every time we teach her she gets a light in her eyes. It's going to be fantastic to see her enter the waters of baptism!

Our friend Daniel has strayed a little bit. when we visited him last Monday, he wasn't very sure about what to do. He let his mom know he wanted to be baptized, and she suggested that he simply gets baptized by her pastor. Well, he accepted. So during our visit we were able to testify of the truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth today and the Book of Mormon as a witness of that. I love the Book of Mormon! It never fails.

We've also met some great people this week who we are excited to work with. One's name is Jocelyn. When we met her, she told us that she's very interested in the message we are sharing. She has from LDS friends at school and they have talked to her about Jesus and the Book of Mormon. We were able to talk to her about the Restoration and all that we have to share. She's super excited about everything!

Another person we are excited about is a man named Francisco. He was kind of a miracle! So here's the story. My companion asked me, "where have you never gone in this area?" Immediately I thought that I have been in every nook and cranny of this area, having spent 8 months here. But I looked on the map and identified 3 streets I had never knocked a door. While walking, we passed a few people who we greeted and didn't respond. As we walked, we waved to a man across the street watering his lawn. He was super friendly with us! But, being across the street, we didn't want to make him feel awkward by crossing to talk with him. So we kept walking. However, I felt a prompting from the Spirit telling me to go back. So, we went back! I threw all caution to the wind and just started talking. He's a very humble man and has God in his life. I believe he has also been prepared for the Restored Gospel.

So there it is, my friends. My boring week, with a small miracle. Have a great 7 days and we'll see you next Monday!

Con Amor, 

Elder Horton

Hike

California!

My Companion's birthday

#PicoRivera

Hey friends and family! How are you all!

So I didn't have very much time to write last week. To be honest, I didn't completely plan my time well. So I had my mom write my weekly for me. (Thanks Mom!!)

So that means I have 2 weeks worth of stuff to catch up on with you.

Yes, my new companion is named Elder Boulter. He's from St. George! that's my 3rd companion from St. George. We get along very well. He'll be my last companion, which means he will "kill" me. Which brings me to my next point.

Let me learn y'all some missionary vocabulary.

Your first area is the area in which you are "born"

Your first companion is your "dad" (for Elders)

Your last area is your "dying area"

When you finish your mission you "die" and your comp "kills" you.

So there you go!

These past 2 weeks have been heating up in my dying area of Pico Rivera. Especially last Friday and Saturday, where it got up to 120 in some parts. The humidity made it worse... That's something unexpected here in SoCal. But, thanks to modern technology and A/C, my companion and I survived.

The 4th of July was crazy! It looked, sounded, and felt like a war-zone. I had no idea how the people of Pico Rivera can blow things up so much.

Elder Boulter and I have been working very hard, because we both want to baptize this last transfer. We have a few people we are very excited about!

A**** is doing well. She still has not been baptized, but we're working on that. We still have some issues to work out with the parents, but all in God's timing it will go well.

D***** has been sick this whole last week so we were unable to meet with him. Beyond that, we are texting him Book of Mormon passages, inspiring quotes and videos, and trying to keep contact with him. He's got great desires, he's just simply busy. 

We taught a young man this week named L***. He was a new person being taught as of a week ago. This time, he gave us a chance to give our message. By the end, he was fully committed to read the Book of Mormon and find out for himself if the book is true. And because it is, he'll get his answer as long as he has Faith and True Intent!

We also taught an older gentleman named J****. He's a mechanic, and I always see him smiling. He's like that one happy uncle that we all have! He understands that attitude is everything. He has some doubts about Joseph Smith being called as a prophet, but we were able to help him understand how he can know for himself and our role as missionaries in that process.

In case you all didn't know, the big problem in the missionary work in Southern California is finding people at home. Life out here is so expensive that people are always on the go. They don't have time, really, to hear us out or give us some time to talk. On the same train of thought, a lot of people don't want to commit to a return appointment. They simply say "well if I'm home and not busy, sure I'll hear you guys out..." which could also mean they're not that interested. So it's a lot of knocking on doors with no answer. I would say that's our biggest struggle.

Well my mom told me there's a lot of people asking about when I get home. I'll be coming home August 14th. Roughly a month from now. Until then, I'll keep working off my hiney. As long as I can wear Jesucristo on my chest and be a full-time missionary, I'll work full-time for him. There's no replacement for this time and I'm so happy to keep working in His vineyard.

Con Amor,

Elder Horton

HOT!

Price head out

New Companion - Elder Boulter

Peruvian food

#happy4th

Hey! So this past week has been pretty good. Priceless, rather 😉Let it suffice to say I'm very happy. Good week. Good comp.

So the companionship. This new Elder, Elder Boulter is simply like a little brother to me. We've had a few people guess that he's 15. He's got a ton of energy, so he's always talking, joking, and dancing. It's been quite fun. I've learned how to laugh again!  But other than that, we're having a lot of fun. I just can't let us not work for this last transfer because I want to BAPTIZE one last time!

The week was also good. Lots of changes. Lots of cleaning. We had a good 4th of July. It got really crazy down here, and from 7-10pm it smelled like smoke the whole time. I took a good video of all the crazy fireworks going off. from 9-10:30 we were able to just chill in the apartment and watch the fireworks from our balcony.

D****'s baptism didn't happen, but it was a long shot anyways... He's just a busy guy.

There wasn't too much progress in the people we are teaching. we dropped a lot of people who weren't progressing to make room for more people who could have more potential, but that's about it.
We spent some HOT days up here. the thermostat read 114 at one time in the car and some people told me it got up to 110. hot stuff.

I think that's it! Talk to you later! 

Elder Horton

PS - sorry - no pictures this week.  I'm out of time!

#HomeStretch

Hola familia y mis amigos! Como estan todos?

So I know you're seeing this from a lot of other people, just as I am, but I'm beginning my last transfer. My companion Elder Price is being transferred to another zone, and I'm receiving a new companion for my last one. His name is Elder Boulter! He's been out about 9 months, and he's one of the happiest guys in the mission! I'm really excited to be companions with him.

We had yet another dry Sunday. We could not find contact with A*** all week! So we couldn't confirm her baptism either. Pretty sad, but we can keep working with that family and she will be baptized soon. I know it.

Another thing is that it's about to get HOT here. The forecast predicts a big jump from the mid 80's on Thursday to 105 on Friday. A/C will be much sought. And plenty of water.

There's really not much to report on this week, so I will include a good amount of pictures.

Have a great week!

Elder Horton

#noSplash

Hello friends and family! So, the biggest piece of news this week is that our friend A*** did not end up being baptized as we planned yesterday. There was a lack of communication, and she wasn't able to make it to church. Gladly, we can simply push it back a week! So she should be baptized this next Sunday.

Our friend, D*****, came to church by surprise! He texted us 15 minutes before church started, letting us know he was on his way. He had a great time, and we are super happy for him. 

We also found another part-member family. The mother was baptized roughly 10 years ago, and when she moved here 5 years ago she stopped going to church when she couldn't find the chapel. But we found her and her husband on the street the other day and they were all for us coming by! The mother C***** is super solid. Her husband E**** seems to be less excited but willing to get closer to God. So we are going to keep going by.

I went on an exchange with Elder Farnsley this week. He is from Georgia and we had an awesome time together! all the appointments we had fell through, so it was simply just knocking a lot of doors that stayed shut. But he didn't let that get us down. Later that day, we saw an elotero (street vendor of corn) walking down the street. I bought both us of elotes! But if any of you decide to do the same, don't make the same mistake I did by asking for extra chile. Your lips will be burning. I'll attach pictures.

They have come out with a new Preach My Gospel! It's basically the same as before, just with a lot of minor tweaks and changes. This is such a testimony to me of continuing revelation through modern-day prophets. The Bible and Book of Mormon can only take us so far, but I'm so glad that the Lord has chosen men on this earth to lead and guide his church and the affairs of his people!   www.lds.org

Con Amor, 

Elder Horton

Elote

District pictures

#Cooler

I thank my Bolivian buddy Elder Stewart for lending me his cold weather for a couple of days. We have had a good spurt of 70 degree weather with some light rain. 

We've also had a spurt of success, so I appreciate all the prayers from you wonderful people! I can truly say I felt the power of those prayers and I'm not sure this work would go anywhere if it wasn't for all the people around the world praying for the missionaries.

About 2 weeks ago we met a man named Daniel. He seemed very interested on first contact. We gave him a few scriptures to read over text, and got a return appointment. In that return appointment, we taught him more about the Book of Mormon through the Restoration and invited him to be baptized on the 8th of July. He's one of those people the Lord has prepared.

Other sad news, Maria Z. (the one who believed the Book of Mormon is true before we met her) has seemed to cut all ties with us the missionaries. We visit and call multiple times a week and nothing... Even when she's home she won't come out to meet us! Jeffery R. Holland has said that he believes that us as missionaries, in order to understand something of the price that has been paid by Christ, we may have to feel some of that burden ourselves. This includes shedding one of the small tears he shed. When I think of Maria, I shed a small tear.

But, the Lord's work always moves on.

I also want to give a shoutout to Elder Curtis Larsen and Elder Reid Puzey who have recently finished their missions. Well done boys! (And to sister Sydney Lewis, who is close.)

Elder Price and I have recently started to work more through the members of the church. We all know that missionary work goes faster and more efficient when all of you, as members, take an active part in the missionary work. We all have desires, it's simply that some of us just don't know how. Maybe you have a friend you want to share the gospel with, but you're nervous. If that's the case, reach out to the local missionaries and they can help you. I encourage you all (especially the youth) to begin helping the Lord's work move forward by speaking with the missionaries and asking how you can help.

This is the Lord's work. This is the true church. Anyone who wants to know that can read, ponder, and pray about the Book of Mormon. That is our evidence. Don't believe me? READ THE BOOK.

Con Amor,

Elder Horton

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Found a beetle who I really bonded with.

Planning...planning...planning

Spanglish

The awesome Jimenez Family

#Tests

Hola y'all!

Well I've had an interesting week.

I know we all have times in our lives when we feel the Lord is truly testing us. We go through trials, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but feel like that light doesn't get any bigger. It can often feel like we are trudging through the pits of life, and we wonder, "how can God be the cause of all this?" I still wonder that sometimes. We met a lady named Marcela yesterday who felt the same way. She has been going through some hard trials for the past 15/20 years. She has a terrible memory, and barely remembers her name. Her family doesn't let her leave her house for fear that she will get lost. She felt desperate while talking to us. In that moment, I felt a little what she felt. Desperation, because sometimes no matter what you do things can't get better. But a firm testimony in Jesus Christ helps me to get out of situations and "funks" of thought just like that! I felt the power of my testimony as I bore it to her about God's plan for us. I bear that same testimony to you all! God has a plan for us personally, and together for all of us as his children. I know that. It includes trials and difficulties as well as joys and successes. Let's not forget that we are here on this earth to learn and grow. Tests will always be the constant, and the variable will be how we react to each tests the Lord sends our way.

What trials are you going through personally, where you ask why God has sent you this? I invite you to look at the purpose of this life as contained in Alma 34:32 and consider how that certain trial will help you arrive there. Sorry I don't have a lot to report on this week, but have a good week and I will talk to y'all next Monday!

Con Amor,

Elder Horton

#work

Hello families and friends! So happy to be writing you all once again!
So this week has been very good. We have seen a lot more success than recently. Let me tell you a little about the people we are working with.
Maria Z is someone found by other Elders and referred to us. Upon further meeting and talking with her, we found out that she had previously been taught by missionaries. She has her own Book of Mormon, and ever since they stopped visiting her 2 years ago she has continued reading it. She finds it clearer than the Bible and believes it's true. Yesterday she came to church for the first time! She loved it! We are so excited to help her progress to her baptismal date on the 17th.
we have Angie as well. She's 9 years old and is part of a family where some are members. She has a desire to be baptized, and so she is also preparing herself to be baptized on the 17th. That should be a big day, if all goes well.
We also have a nice lady named Ana. She was a referral from her brother in Utah. We have been able to speak with her a little and she is interested in the message we have to share. She spoke to her brother and he encouraged her to hear us out. It should be interesting to see what she says the next time we visit.
Another man we are teaching is named Jose. Our first visit with him, when we were teaching the Restoration he broke down in tears. He's searching for something more in his life. Happy for him, the Gospel of Jesus Christ can fill that hole.
I know this is the work of the Lord and that he is at the helm. Wherever we are, I know he guides this work to bring to pass Salvation for all those who hear his voice and the voice of his servants. Even though my time is short here in the California Long Beach mission, I'm learning every day. I know Jesus is my Savior, I know the Bible and Book of Mormon are true, I know that this life is short and very important. So go out and make the best of it you can!
Con Amor,
Elder Horton

Hey there

Mongolian BBQ

Exchanges

#CloseQuarters

Hey family and friends! This week seemed super short because of all the crazy stuff that happened this week.
To start off with, we have 5 Elders living in our 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. There's a small influx of missionaries and not enough apartments, so we are hosting a trio of missionaries. One of that trio is a missionary who comes from Nicaragua! Yep. He's part of the evacuation of missionaries from Nicaragua because of the political issues there. So we don't know for how long, but he's with us. 5 missionaries in one apartment can feel quite like a party.
We have been working hard to find those the Lord has prepared to accept the Restored Gospel and be baptized. We found a nice guy named Rigo. He's been graduated from 1 year and seems really open to our message. We look forward to the future with him!
I can't think of a whole lot else. I know this church is true! The Lord is my light, and I know he will light the way. But we have to open our eyes and let him guide us. Until next week!
Con Amor,
Elder Horton

I spilled Parmesan cheese all over me 

Selfies

#WeStayin

Hey friends and family! If you couldn't already tell from my title, I'll be staying here in Pico Rivera. And so will my comp Elder Price. We'll be spending a third transfer together! It will be an interesting experience for us, since neither of us have spent this long in any certain area nor spent 3 transfers with a companion.
This last Sunday, we had the baptism of a girl named Tiffany! She's 9 years old and her family is active in the church. She just simply didn't want to be baptized until now. So, now that she is 9 we came and taught and baptized her. She was super excited, but nervous.
Sorry we don't have a lot of time today. We spent a solid 3 hours cleaning an apartment where Elders were living to prepare it for sisters. We are doing well and are excited for the transfer coming up. I'll send pictures!

Con amor,

Elder Horton

I fell in a bush

We serve at a place called IFC

Meet the newest District Leader

#DiaDeLasMadres

Hola todos! Feliz día de las madres a todas las madres al rededor del mundo.
This week, just as the last few weeks have, flew by. There was a lot of anticipation for the mothers day call, as you all can imagine.
Elder Price and I have been working hard to find our next "Golden person", the one who has been prepared by the Lord to be baptized. We have also been working hard to invite more of the people we are working with to be baptized and make that promise to God to serve him. Let me tell you all about M****.
M**** was contacted by some other missionaries doing yard work. They offered to help, but she declined, saying she didn't want them to get their nice clothes dirty. But she agreed for them to send us by. We came by with normal clothes a few days later, and she was happy to let us help! So as we worked in her yard, we talked. We talked about her family, our families, what we do as missionaries, etc. What we didn't know previously and found out through this conversation is that she was taught by missionaries 1 or 2 years ago. They gave her a Book of Mormon, and she never saw them again. Since that day, she has been reading the Book of Mormon every night before she goes to sleep. She loves it and finds it clearer than the Bible. She knows we were sent by God to her. What. A. Miracle!

We also have found some others who seem to be interested. We set baptismal dates with 2 other people we are working with. We hope they are able to progress to that date and enter the waters of baptism!

I'm not sure what else to talk about... Thanks for all your support. In case you're wondering, I have 3 months left. AHHHHH

Con Amor,

Elder Horton

My comp is feeling much better...

#Splash

Hola familia y amigos! Qué tal?
It has been quite the week. We have been all around the zone, gone to the hospital, gotten wet in the baptismal font, and took a trip down to Cerritos, my last zone! Let me tell you all about it.
Monday after P-day, D***** was invited to a Family Home Evening with a family way out of our area! But, in the name of repentance, we biked our hineys the 30 minutes uphill to get there and enjoy a great lesson. We talked about forgiveness and had some donuts from the corner store.
Tuesday I was on exchanges in our area with Elder Chambers. He's in training, but he's a really good missionary! He's also incredibly talented. Before the mission, he played for the youth US. National soccer team, and had many colleges looking at him. He's one of those guys who is automatically good at most things he does. He will go far in his mission.
Thursday we had a Zone Conference. We got to travel down to Cerritos, where I was serving before. So there were some familiar faces. We talked about baptism, the Book of Mormon, a lots of other good stuff that will help me to be a better missionary. 
So my companion has been feeling a certain pain in his stomach for about a week now. We went from thinking it was food poisoning to soreness, from stomach flu to maybe a virus. We went to the urgent care Friday. They couldn't tell him exactly what it was, but gave him a prescription for 2 possibilities and instructed him to visit the ER if symptoms don't improve. So prayers out to Elder Price por favor!
Since that urgent care visit, we have spent quite a bit of time staying in the apartment because he hasn't felt well enough to leave.
I saved the best for last. D****** was baptized! WHOOO! It was a fantastic service. This month of waiting since she pushed her baptismal date back has felt long. But she made it. She was baptized. I had the privilege of baptizing her. It has been one of the biggest blessings, coming to know her and watch her change and repent. She will be a strong member of the church because she is converted. I'll attach pictures.
Well she was baptized Saturday and the day after, she was confirmed by Elder Price. That was also good.
Well real quickly I want to bear my testimony. I was going to yesterday, but too many people got up before me and there was no time left. This is the Church of Jesus Christ. This is the church and gospel which he established while he was on the earth, now restored through a prophet. We have all the authority and priesthood needed to perform the ordinances that will lead us to eternal life. I know that. I know it through the Book of Mormon. Brothers and sisters. If any of you are in doubt or wandering, read the Book of Mormon. It was written by ancient prophets for our day. It contains guidance for us in our lives. Most importantly, it is the evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that through him, the Church of Jesus Christ was restored. Please read it. It will help you grow closer to Christ and our father in Heaven more than any other book. I leave you all my love. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Elder Horton

#20...months??

20 months... whoa. That honestly makes me feel so old. I remember earlier in my mission, looking at a missionary who was 15 months in and thinking he must be so experienced. Now here I am, 20 months along. I'm old.

Apart from that, this has been a good, nevertheless, short week. Since I emailed you all on Tuesday I have one less day to talk about. If I'm being honest right now, I'm at a lack of things to say. But there's always plenty to say about those we are working with. So here goes.

D**** is fantastic. She's nice, willing to learn, always keeps the commitments we ask her to keep, and is ready to be baptized. She is still on track for this coming Saturday, the 5th. She's nervous, but ready. This last week, we had a really great lesson with her. We had previously assigned her to study Alma chapter 7 and prepare, with her aunt, a little lesson about the Atonement of Jesus Christ based on this chapter. We gave them about a week to do it, and when they presented it went very well. They included pictures, videos, and an activity! She created a word-search based on the vocabulary in this chapter! That was the most surprising thing. Of course I completed it first and got the prize ;)

D**** showed up to church and was able to be confirmed by her father. It was a special experience. She's such a smart girl and comes to the table with the greatest questions. She's great at thinking things through very well.

We're working still with the Jimenez family, to help them continue in the Lord's path. They had a little step-back, which included a visit to the hospital and a cast, but now they are doing well. We hope to take them to the temple soon and do some work for their ancestors. The father got the Aaronic priesthood yesterday, and he should be able to bless and pass the sacrament this upcoming Sunday. We are super excited for them.

Well, I'll close out this letter. I know this is the work of the Lord, and he is involved in every Jot and Tittle. He cares about us and loves us, so much. That is why we are out here as missionaries. To help spread the love that God has for all of us.

Have a great day all!

Elder Horton

Hike today

Hike we took today

Temple from last week

My companion

#TempleBlessings

Hello everyone! What a pleasure it is to write you! 

It might come as a surprise that I am writing on a Tuesday. We had the opportunity to go to the temple, which us out of the mission. We only get to go every 6 months. So it is a fantastic opportunity. But since it is so far away, we have to change our p-day to the day we go to the temple. If any of you feel that you should be partaking of the blessings of the temple more often, I recommend that you go. Going to the temple brings a certain sense of peace, love, and a hightened perspective on life.

We also had the chance to go with D*** to the Los Angeles temple visitors center this Sunday. It was so much fun! We were able to help her learn about the work we do there, and to do it in an interactive way. Afterwards, we took a tour around the temple and took some pictures. I will send those pictures. Also, D*** pushed her baptismal date up to be baptized the 5th of May. She is very excited and a little nervous.

It has been really warm recently, and so being on bike has been good/bad. Good, because I'm getting tan and getting excersize! Bad, because... well it's HOT. I need to get accustomed to it again. Que me echen porra.

Not sure what else to say, and it's getting late. So I'll leave it at that. I'll give you all a lot of pictures so they speak a thousand words.

Con Amor,

Elder Horton

#BikeLife

Hello family and friends, I can't believe P-day snuck around the corner again, and I'm here writing home again. Time needs to slow the heck dooowwwwnnnn.
So this week we had another baptism! Her name is D***. She's 11 years old, she's super smart, loves to play around, and asks the deepest and most profound questions when we are teaching her. Most of her family are members, and her dad was able to baptize her. What an awesome opportunity! She was actually taught about 5 months ago by another companionship of Elders. But her family suddenly picked up and moved to Connecticut. Buuuttt, they didn't stay too long. And when she came back, she wanted to be baptized again. She is way awesome.
As my title mentions, we are back on the bike life! There is a companionship of missionaries who needs it way more than us, so we let them have it. I'm already getting really tan! Well... missionary tan. Arms and face. That's it. But it has been HOT this last week. I think Pico Rivera tried to skip Spring and went straight to summer! Oh my goodness. But now, it's cooling down. Thank heavens! 
Another note: people are way more calm drivers here than in my last area. We don't get in as many near-accidents. So for all of you concerned about my safety, there you go 
Here's a fun experience for you all. Hope you enjoy!
So we were looking for a potential named P***. We knocked on the door, to have a lady named R*** tell us he's changing and we can wait if we want to. So after waiting 15/20 minutes, he comes and stands in the doorway with a beer can in his hand. In his backyard was playing music. While talking with him, a good song comes on. I tell him I like the song, and so he brings us into his backyard where he has family. He turns the music up 100%, to the level where we cannot even hear each other speak. He starts dancing and tells us it's his birthday. He grabs a can of beer and offers it to us, then hands us water when we say no. If this moment wasn't awkward enough, there's a baby in a stroller in front of the speaker... so things start to calm down real quick. He lowers the music, we sit down, and start to talk about the Gospel a little bit. We start talking and he likes what we're saying about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but finally the rest of his family shows up with the 30 pack of Bud-Light and we figure that's our sign to leave. So we picked up and headed out.
I think that's about it for you all. It's been a week of bikes, sweat, and blood! Have a good week all!

Con Amor,

Elder Horton

Baptism

Que la muerda!

Basic Hispanic meal