#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

#...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)