Dear Family,
I have been transferred to the San Jose South zone. I am very excited for the work we have coming up soon. I am with Elder Manning. He is from Kansas. He entered the mission one transfer after me. We are very excited to do some very good work. I already know several of the members in this area because of associations through Elder Smoot. In fact, the former bishop of the Los Alimitos ward baptized Maria Franco.
Our zone is quite large and very much on top of missionary work. I look forward to working with the stake president, President Green. I have been told that I can learn a ton from him.
I am excited to be serving in a ward. This will provide a lot of resources to help us as we work to build the Lord's Kingdom in San Jose.
These last few days have been tough for me. I have really grown to love the people in the Gavilan Branch. I will miss them a great deal. I worked harder in Gilroy than I had ever worked before. I feel like I put everything I had into the work. I hope to be returning for several baptisms soon. It was also tough to have to leave Elder Smoot. We really worked well together. He was one of my favorite companions.
I hope everything is well as you prepare for school and start your classes.
Love,
Elder Badger
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Another Wonderful Week !!!
Dear family,
I hope this letter finds you all well once again. The work continues to move forward and we love it. We couldn’t be happier.
Last Friday was our big missionary activity in the branch. We had organized a movie night to give the members an opportunity to share the gospel with their friends. It was a great success. There were more nonmembers in attendance than members. Everyone brought a dessert, a soda, or popcorn. No one went away hungry or disappointed. All of the nonmembers really like the movie, the Testaments. As a result we had over ten nonmembers at our sacrament meeting. We are hoping to teach some of these families in the upcoming week.
Elder Smoot and I have really been trying to set an example to the zone by talking to everyone. Our goal last week was to make twenty contacts a day. We were contacting machines. Although it isn’t our most effective finding method it has been a great way to show our faith that there are people prepared to receive us. It seems like the rest of our work went better as a result. We even had a reward predetermined if we achieved it. Luckily, we were able to reward ourselves by going to breakfast on P-day at OD’s (think over-dose). It’s the place where the locals eat. I tried a plate called “the sink.” I think this gives you an idea of the size. They had to roll us out. We really like achieving our goals.
Also, we have been working a lot with the stake over the last week to help streamline the work with the ward council. On Sunday, we provided training in a meeting with all of the ward mission leaders and the stake presidency. We walked through the ward mission process step by step. We were very grateful to the Gavilan Branch for allowing us to have put a lot of these steps in practice months ago. These changes have really helped our work to move forward with greater speed. The objective is to apply the things that we have learned to other wards in the stake.
Love,
Elder Badger
I hope this letter finds you all well once again. The work continues to move forward and we love it. We couldn’t be happier.
Last Friday was our big missionary activity in the branch. We had organized a movie night to give the members an opportunity to share the gospel with their friends. It was a great success. There were more nonmembers in attendance than members. Everyone brought a dessert, a soda, or popcorn. No one went away hungry or disappointed. All of the nonmembers really like the movie, the Testaments. As a result we had over ten nonmembers at our sacrament meeting. We are hoping to teach some of these families in the upcoming week.
Elder Smoot and I have really been trying to set an example to the zone by talking to everyone. Our goal last week was to make twenty contacts a day. We were contacting machines. Although it isn’t our most effective finding method it has been a great way to show our faith that there are people prepared to receive us. It seems like the rest of our work went better as a result. We even had a reward predetermined if we achieved it. Luckily, we were able to reward ourselves by going to breakfast on P-day at OD’s (think over-dose). It’s the place where the locals eat. I tried a plate called “the sink.” I think this gives you an idea of the size. They had to roll us out. We really like achieving our goals.
Also, we have been working a lot with the stake over the last week to help streamline the work with the ward council. On Sunday, we provided training in a meeting with all of the ward mission leaders and the stake presidency. We walked through the ward mission process step by step. We were very grateful to the Gavilan Branch for allowing us to have put a lot of these steps in practice months ago. These changes have really helped our work to move forward with greater speed. The objective is to apply the things that we have learned to other wards in the stake.
Love,
Elder Badger
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Elder Gavarret Visit
Dear Family,
We just got back from a meeting with Elder Gavarret of the First Quorum of the Seventy. It was a very good meeting. I especially liked the opportunity we had to discuss with Elder Gavarret some mission specific issues in a special zone leader meeting. We are eagerly trying to push the mission to new levels. He feels that we can baptize more than 100 people monthly. We were all in agreement. It has been a vision of this mission for quite some time now. The first step to making it happen will require us to increse the faith of the missionaries we serve. I desperately want to see it happen before the end of my mission. Elder Gavarret believes it is very possible.
The rest of the week has gone well. We are preparing for a baptism this Saturday. Juan Moreno is scheduled to be baptized. All we have left is to size him for the suit and have his interview and he is ready. We are very excited. He is a referral from a recent convert family. I feel like this area has really taught me to work with the members. All of our success has come from the members desire to share the gospel with their friends. They really understand the importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is amazing to see it at work in their lives.
This last week we taught our missionaries how to be "swiss army missionaries" in regards to finding. Nothing happens until we find people to teach,. It is the very first step in the conversion process. To illustrate our example, we had three missionaries pick a utensil (knife, spoon, or fork). We then placed a dish in front of each missionary. The missionary with the fork had to eat soup, while the one with the knife was forced to eat noodles, finally the spoon holder was left to dice an orange. We then illustrated the example further by giving them all of the utensils. As missionaries, we must be creative, flexible, and comfortable using all of our resources. As we develop these skills within the mission we will really begin to reach the goals which we have set.
Love,
Elder Badger
We just got back from a meeting with Elder Gavarret of the First Quorum of the Seventy. It was a very good meeting. I especially liked the opportunity we had to discuss with Elder Gavarret some mission specific issues in a special zone leader meeting. We are eagerly trying to push the mission to new levels. He feels that we can baptize more than 100 people monthly. We were all in agreement. It has been a vision of this mission for quite some time now. The first step to making it happen will require us to increse the faith of the missionaries we serve. I desperately want to see it happen before the end of my mission. Elder Gavarret believes it is very possible.
The rest of the week has gone well. We are preparing for a baptism this Saturday. Juan Moreno is scheduled to be baptized. All we have left is to size him for the suit and have his interview and he is ready. We are very excited. He is a referral from a recent convert family. I feel like this area has really taught me to work with the members. All of our success has come from the members desire to share the gospel with their friends. They really understand the importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is amazing to see it at work in their lives.
This last week we taught our missionaries how to be "swiss army missionaries" in regards to finding. Nothing happens until we find people to teach,. It is the very first step in the conversion process. To illustrate our example, we had three missionaries pick a utensil (knife, spoon, or fork). We then placed a dish in front of each missionary. The missionary with the fork had to eat soup, while the one with the knife was forced to eat noodles, finally the spoon holder was left to dice an orange. We then illustrated the example further by giving them all of the utensils. As missionaries, we must be creative, flexible, and comfortable using all of our resources. As we develop these skills within the mission we will really begin to reach the goals which we have set.
Love,
Elder Badger
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
A Pleasant Surprise
Dear family,
We have had an awesome week. The previous week was a little on the slow side, but this week made up for the sluggishness of the previous week. We found four new investigators, taught four member present lessons, set three new baptismal dates, and had all four our baptismal dates at church.
Sunday’s fast and testimony meeting was super spiritual with three baby blessings and perfect testimonies. We even fasted with one our baptismal dates. He told us at the linger longer afterwards that he could really feel the difference that fasting made. The fast was to help him be financially stable and at peace despite his tough financial situation. From what I understand we could all use a little bit of this help with the upcoming double dip.
The other three baptismal dates have a pretty cool story as well. The Fuller family was a referral from President DeSalmones. Denis Fuller, a good friend of a member in the San Jose ward, needed a blessing to help him through a tough situation he was facing in his life. Brother Rivera offered the blessing in which he made mention of some trials that Denis was facing in great detail. Without knowing Denis beforehand, Brother Rivera had explained the entire situation Denis was facing in great detail. We all felt our testimony of the restored priesthood grow as Denis explained what had just happened. As a result we began to teach Denis how this priesthood was restored. The following week, he was waiting for us with his mother and son. As the lesson progressed, the smile on his face grew wider and wider. All three accepted a baptismal date for September 3. They had a great time at church the following Sunday.
Have I mentioned that I love the Gavilan Branch. I honestly have no complaints. I would be perfectly content to finish my mission here.
Saturday I was on exchange with the assistants and had the opportunity to attend a baptism in Redwood City. It’s weird how it felt a little like going home. I was able to talk to Adonay Luna. Since I left Redwood City, his wife was baptized as well. He is preparing to enter the temple as soon as she has been a member for a year so they can enter together. I even talked to my old ward mission leader, David Hansen. He is moving to BYU where he will be teaching economics (he recommended riding out the economy by attending college).
Also, while on exchange, I ran into Alli and her family. We were performing service at a clothing drive held by the San Jose South Stake. It was a pleasant surprise. She says that this next week they will be in southern California and will just miss you by a few days. I was happy to hear that Grandpa Badger quickly adapted to Alli’s iPad (he even licked his fingers to turn the virtual pages).
Love,
Elder Badger
We have had an awesome week. The previous week was a little on the slow side, but this week made up for the sluggishness of the previous week. We found four new investigators, taught four member present lessons, set three new baptismal dates, and had all four our baptismal dates at church.
Sunday’s fast and testimony meeting was super spiritual with three baby blessings and perfect testimonies. We even fasted with one our baptismal dates. He told us at the linger longer afterwards that he could really feel the difference that fasting made. The fast was to help him be financially stable and at peace despite his tough financial situation. From what I understand we could all use a little bit of this help with the upcoming double dip.
The other three baptismal dates have a pretty cool story as well. The Fuller family was a referral from President DeSalmones. Denis Fuller, a good friend of a member in the San Jose ward, needed a blessing to help him through a tough situation he was facing in his life. Brother Rivera offered the blessing in which he made mention of some trials that Denis was facing in great detail. Without knowing Denis beforehand, Brother Rivera had explained the entire situation Denis was facing in great detail. We all felt our testimony of the restored priesthood grow as Denis explained what had just happened. As a result we began to teach Denis how this priesthood was restored. The following week, he was waiting for us with his mother and son. As the lesson progressed, the smile on his face grew wider and wider. All three accepted a baptismal date for September 3. They had a great time at church the following Sunday.
Have I mentioned that I love the Gavilan Branch. I honestly have no complaints. I would be perfectly content to finish my mission here.
Saturday I was on exchange with the assistants and had the opportunity to attend a baptism in Redwood City. It’s weird how it felt a little like going home. I was able to talk to Adonay Luna. Since I left Redwood City, his wife was baptized as well. He is preparing to enter the temple as soon as she has been a member for a year so they can enter together. I even talked to my old ward mission leader, David Hansen. He is moving to BYU where he will be teaching economics (he recommended riding out the economy by attending college).
Also, while on exchange, I ran into Alli and her family. We were performing service at a clothing drive held by the San Jose South Stake. It was a pleasant surprise. She says that this next week they will be in southern California and will just miss you by a few days. I was happy to hear that Grandpa Badger quickly adapted to Alli’s iPad (he even licked his fingers to turn the virtual pages).
Love,
Elder Badger
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Two Heads of Garlic
Dear family,
We survived the garlic festival. It was everything they told us it would be and more. I think I ate two heads of garlic in the one day we were there. Everything is bathed in garlic. All of it is very good and Paula Dean approved (two sticks of butter in every bite). Elder Smoot and I were blessed to cashier instead of run food entrees. I covered the shrimp scampi, while Elder Smoot took charge of the calamari. The lines were massive. It reminded me of the Puyallup Fair, but without the catchy theme song. After our six hour shift we were given a free meal ticket and left to check out the festival. We used the next hour as our lunch and watched the cooking demonstrations. We ran into many church members and students from BYU. Garlic sausage, scampi, bread, stir fry, mushrooms, and the new shrimp beef garlic wrap left us smelling like we had overdosed on some garlic pills. I wish I had the recipes for all of the food they cooked there. If I did, our apartment would smell like garlic until the second coming. It was the highest attendance the festival has seen since its inception.
This last week has been a little tough. Our work was cut in half with the arrival of the sisters. We are working on building our finding sources here in Gilroy. We are also showing our faith to find by talking to everyone we meet. I realize how many people I have let pass me by. It’s an eye opening experience. I have a lot of improving to do. We are getting a lot better at tying any conversation into a gospel discussion. We are also teaching the members how to do the same so that they can meet their family missionary goals. We all need to improve.
Thanks for the package. I especially appreciated the razor blades. They tend to be the most expensive things we buy when we do our shopping. The cookies were delicious. I have yet to make cookies on my mission and greatly appreciate receiving them in packages. Although, we aren’t baking cookies; we have been cooking quite a big lately. Word has gotten around to members that we like to cook. We are often invited to share this skill on P-day. It has been a great way to follow the counsel Elder Ballard gave us in May by “moving into the unit.” We have made breakfast biscuits, crepes, banana crème pudding, and even chili. All of these things aren’t typical fare in Latino culture so we like the opportunity to share a little bit of our culture as well. The most successful of these dishes has been crepes. I think it has to do with the fact that they are similar to a burrito when they are done. Our favorite crepe is the chocolate orange crepe (crepe filled with Nutella and sprinkled with sugar that has been flavored with orange zest). These taste similar to the chocolate oranges that are sold around Christmas time.
The focus for the next two months in the mission has been centered on finding. Since Elder Ballard’s visit we have been required to be a little more creative on how we find. Some missionaries are still struggling to adjust. As we make these adjustments we will begin to see more success. Something that we have realized is that the Spirit works through creativity. As we seek to do things differently, we allow the Spirit to work through us. We learn as we seek to be better. Not every attempt is effective, but we learn from our mistakes and move on. This is what the Plan of Salvation teaches us. We are to progress. We are to improve. If we stop improving, we stop learning. “How long can rolling water remain impure?” This process refines us into what God wants us to be.
Love,
Elder Badger
We survived the garlic festival. It was everything they told us it would be and more. I think I ate two heads of garlic in the one day we were there. Everything is bathed in garlic. All of it is very good and Paula Dean approved (two sticks of butter in every bite). Elder Smoot and I were blessed to cashier instead of run food entrees. I covered the shrimp scampi, while Elder Smoot took charge of the calamari. The lines were massive. It reminded me of the Puyallup Fair, but without the catchy theme song. After our six hour shift we were given a free meal ticket and left to check out the festival. We used the next hour as our lunch and watched the cooking demonstrations. We ran into many church members and students from BYU. Garlic sausage, scampi, bread, stir fry, mushrooms, and the new shrimp beef garlic wrap left us smelling like we had overdosed on some garlic pills. I wish I had the recipes for all of the food they cooked there. If I did, our apartment would smell like garlic until the second coming. It was the highest attendance the festival has seen since its inception.
This last week has been a little tough. Our work was cut in half with the arrival of the sisters. We are working on building our finding sources here in Gilroy. We are also showing our faith to find by talking to everyone we meet. I realize how many people I have let pass me by. It’s an eye opening experience. I have a lot of improving to do. We are getting a lot better at tying any conversation into a gospel discussion. We are also teaching the members how to do the same so that they can meet their family missionary goals. We all need to improve.
Thanks for the package. I especially appreciated the razor blades. They tend to be the most expensive things we buy when we do our shopping. The cookies were delicious. I have yet to make cookies on my mission and greatly appreciate receiving them in packages. Although, we aren’t baking cookies; we have been cooking quite a big lately. Word has gotten around to members that we like to cook. We are often invited to share this skill on P-day. It has been a great way to follow the counsel Elder Ballard gave us in May by “moving into the unit.” We have made breakfast biscuits, crepes, banana crème pudding, and even chili. All of these things aren’t typical fare in Latino culture so we like the opportunity to share a little bit of our culture as well. The most successful of these dishes has been crepes. I think it has to do with the fact that they are similar to a burrito when they are done. Our favorite crepe is the chocolate orange crepe (crepe filled with Nutella and sprinkled with sugar that has been flavored with orange zest). These taste similar to the chocolate oranges that are sold around Christmas time.
The focus for the next two months in the mission has been centered on finding. Since Elder Ballard’s visit we have been required to be a little more creative on how we find. Some missionaries are still struggling to adjust. As we make these adjustments we will begin to see more success. Something that we have realized is that the Spirit works through creativity. As we seek to do things differently, we allow the Spirit to work through us. We learn as we seek to be better. Not every attempt is effective, but we learn from our mistakes and move on. This is what the Plan of Salvation teaches us. We are to progress. We are to improve. If we stop improving, we stop learning. “How long can rolling water remain impure?” This process refines us into what God wants us to be.
Love,
Elder Badger
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