First Week in Whittier

Happy P-Day!

 

A lot happened this week! I said good-bye to Elder Komarek and left him to train a missionary who is waiting for a visa! He got called the day before to train! So I'm excited for him. I left on Tuesday and now I'm here in Whittier. It's kind of weird to not be in Long Beach anymore but I like it here so far. The Colima ward is very nice and the boundries make it that the northern part is very rich and the southern part is very poor. Elder Hermansen and I have the south part. Moving into the apartment was a little stressful. The apartment probably hadn't been cleaned in months...So I've been cleaning in my spare time. I didn't take pictures of the apartment but maybe I will for next week.

 

Elder Hermansen is from Kerns, UT and we're getting along pretty well. He likes tennis and has two younger brothers. He's allergic to fructose so he has to tell people everyday that he can't eat fruit. I would get really tired of that really quickly if I were him. We get along pretty well. Everyday we get a little more comfortable and open with each other. He is quiet and still not quite comfortable with talking to people on the street but I think as he does it he'll get better and better. We're also trying to get used to teaching together. I guess I like to talk and I sometimes have a hard time with giving time to my companion if he doesn't jump in. So I've been working on that.

 

The work here is great! We have Spanish missionaries working in our area so they run into some English speakers that are interested. One of those people is William! He is really awesome and has a date for baptism on the 25th. We met him and gave him a pamphlet on the Restoration and the next day we went over and he read it and had questions and was really excited! He didn't make it to church and he can't next week because of a family trip but tonight we have a lesson with someone from church coming as well.

 

Whittier is super hilly compared to LB and of course I'm on a bike haha. It's as north as the mission goes and it gets the hottest here in the summers too. I may be needing some more white short sleeve shirts. Im a 15 and a half. I've been thinking about things that I would want in a package and desk toys or things are good. I spend all of my time working or at my desk so that may give some birthday ideas. It's weird to think that I'll be 20 in less than two months. I'm not exactly spending my last year as a teenager as most do.

 

I'm sending some pictures of Elder Hermansen and I

 

Love

 

Silas

 

 

 

Moving!

This week was my last week with Elder Komarek! I'm definitely going to miss him but I know he's going to do great with his new companion. President Bubert was at our sacrament meeting yesterday to speak and Elder Komarek gave a talk as well. He did so awesome! Haha I thanked him for making me look good in front of President. He talked about how we can develop Christ-like attributes and President talked about all the new missionaries coming in and the help that we need. There were 123 missionaries here when I got here and tomorrow there will be 242.

 

Speaking of tomorrow...I am getting transferred to Whittier! I hear there are a lot of Spanish speakers there and I don't speak Spanish...I may be regretting Italian classes haha. My companion is going to be Elder Hermansen and I am excited to get to know another missionary! President doesn't usually email missionaries back but he did for me this past week! This is what he said:

 

Thanks my friend.
I am so proud of you and for the outstanding job you have done with Elder Komarek. He will teach Elder Ball everything Elder Ball should have learned since he's been here.
Have a great transfer with Elder Hermansen. He is very quiet and reserved. Don't let him get out of teaching and planning. You can do all of that in a kind and gentle way. Gain the confidence of the members in your ward. There is so much good yet to be done there in Colima. I want you to know that I have total confidence that you will really get things going. You are a one of the best missionaries I know, with the best natural leadership qualities. Stay humble, keep working hard and rely upon the Lord for all the inspiration you will need to get the Lord's work done.
Love, Pres Bubert

 

I'm grateful for the love that I have for the members of the Woodruff Ward. It is a strange thought to think that if I hadn't come here I wouldn't have met any of these amazing people. I said good-bye to Frank Pastrana (Elder Sudbury baptized him) and it was really heart wrenching. He has so many health problems and he is still trying to have a good attitude. I read Helaman 5:12 and bore him my testimony that I know that what that scripture says is true. He talked about how he loves the church and the Gospel because he knows that there are always people that really care about him. He told me that for lack of better words he has my back. I am amazed over and over how much I care about these people. That is the best part about being a missionary. I love loving people.

 

I'm saying goodbye to Brent Porter tonight and that'll be hard. He is a crazy old man and I love him haha. I'll try and get a picture with him. I already said goodbye to Micheal. I'll post a picture! Hope you all have a great week!

 

Silas

 

 

Last Week of the Transfer

Hey,

 

This week was pretty good. I always say that. I guess Mom and Dad know that being a missionary is kind of repetitive but it's always good. So this upcoming week is the last week that I'll be training Elder Komarek and it has really flown by! I've really liked training and I would like to do it again. We'll see though. I could be moving to another area next Tuesday but I'll know and let you know on Monday.

 

So this week I helped a lady pack up her house to move to somewhere in northern California. The house was really dusty and full of dog hair. It was really full of dog hair. So we worked for six hours to pack up the house and load the truck. The man packing the house flew down out of his own pocket to help the lady who he had never met before. I think he knew one of her friends? Anyways I was talking to him about that because it takes a lot of charity to pay to go and do a lot of work and help someone. I do like helping people even when you sneeze a lot because of the dog hair. Did I say there was a ton of dog hair?

 

Michael wasn't ready to get baptized this weekend which is unfortunate because he wants to get baptized but he's not really sure if Joseph Smith was a prophet. But I know that as he reads and prays about the Book of Mormon he'll get an answer. I really like that about the church that I think a lot of people either look over or don't take seriously. You can actually read and pray and get an answer from God that something is true. All it takes is an experiment. I like the simplicity of the Gospel that can be broken down into very complex doctrines.

 

Elder Komarek and I are getting along well. He's a good guy and he's really funny too. We really like having fun with the other Elders in our district..it's the four of us, then all sisters.

 

I ran into a missionary that served in our ward (Elder Richards) the other day and it was really awesome to see someone I know. It was really crazy too because the chances of that happening were extremely slim. He just happened to have driven past where we were biking. He doesn't live here he was just here for a wedding. Super awesome.

 

I hope you all have a great week and I can't wait to talk to you next week!

 

Silas

 

 

April 8th

Hey Everyone,

 

I had a pretty good week this week. I always feel like talking about the weather because it seriously won't change. I still feel like it's August and I just got here which is good I guess! This week we did service for two members in the ward. I'm getting pretty good at doing yardwork. I like helping people a lot and it seems to almost become selfish when you're asking people if you can help them ha.

 

Michael, the 12 year old boy we've been teaching since Jan is going to get baptized on Sunday! We've had a lot of other times where we have planned on him getting baptized but this time I'm almost sure it will happen. He's really a great kid who I've gotten to know pretty well. Michael plays football and baseball and he is a beast. He's half black half samoan so he already has a six pack. He hits at least one homerun a game and he's a friendly guy. He's also pretty shy so it's been hard helping him want to meet the other boys at church but I think that will come with time. A few weeks ago he told me that I'm like a brother now which really means a lot. I think about where I would be and the people that I wouldn't have met if I hadn't made the choice to come here. It's a scary thought now because I know I wouldn't be where I am now.

 

The reason for that is sometimes hard to explain. Before my mission I knew that going on a mission was "good" but I don't think I understood exactly why. It's obviously good for other people because I'm helping people change their lives, live good morals and come closer to God. But personally I feel like I've already become a much better person. I understand a lot more about life and people. I'm not afraid to talk to anyone about anything. I actually read the scriptures everyday and for some reason I can't get enough now. I've learned a lot more about Christ. The most effect that being on a mission has had on me is probably my desire to be more like Him. It's too easy to get caught up in stupid things that make someone lose their focus on the goal of becoming a better person. When it comes down to it, everything you should do should make you better. And we have that great gift of choice which sometimes really stinks. It seems a lot better to do nothing or to do the wrong thing than do the right thing. But if we do the small things like pray and be charitable to the people around us it gets a little easier every time. Going on a misson has also helped me understand how much I need to improve. That's part of life though.

 

That's my rant for this week. General Conference was really good! I liked President Monson's talk about setting the field on fire with his friend. He makes the best faces. I hope everyone's week went well. Haha I hope you like the pictures of me on my new bike. It's a little hard to ride.

 

Love

 

Silas

 

 

 

Happy Easter!

Hey everyone,

 

Sorry I didn't get to write a long email last week. There really isn't a good reason for that besides laziness. Happy Easter! Thanks for the package Mom and Dad it was awesome! I found the eggs that you put in there so I would almost say I hunted for Easter eggs this year. Our dinner cancelled on us actually so that was kind of lame. I called Brent Porter, a funny guy that is less-active so we ended up eating with him. He told us more about his life and he's had a crazier life than anyone I have ever met. We watched some Bible videos which are really good so you should go on Mormon Channel and watch them. It was really amazing to hear stories from this man's life and realize that Christ can take away every single one of those mistakes. The Atonement really is more powerful than we can comprehend.

 

I read a talk by Hugh Nibley called the Atonement of Jesus Christ and it was really insightful. I like how he goes over the meaning and translations of the word atonement, reconciliation, salvation etc. He talks about Zion and how we can accept the Atonement in our lives. I'm also reading a talk called A Stange Thing in the Land: Return of the Book of Enoch by Hugh Nibley and in the 11th part he talks about Zion again. He does a good job explaining the law of consecration.

 

This week I studied the last week of Christ's life and it made my Easter a lot more meaningful to me. I loved reading all of the Gospel accounts of that week. I really wish I could have been with the Apostles and seen the Teacher curse the Pharisees and heal and teach.

 

I don't have too much time left but I do want to tell you about an experience I had this week. It was 8:30 and we didn't know who to go by. (No one really loves you going by at 8:30) We decided to start heading home and just contact people on the street. There really wasn't anyone outside but I really prayed and asked if we could be led to just one person we need to talk to. All of a sudden I just got the impression to go down a road that wasn't the way home. Within a minute there was a man named Larry walking his dog that we had talked to the week before. We got to talk to him for a minute and give him our number. To me that was an answer to my prayer and a witness that we need to follow promptings from the Spirit. It was amazing to go down a random road, see someone and know the person. Always follow your promptings..especially to do good.

 

The pictures are during companion study ha.

 

Love you have a great week!

 

-Silas