Temple day

Elder Bagley swapped P-days on us.  He had P-day today (Tuesday) instead of Monday because he and his companion got to go to the temple.  In their mission they get to go to the temple for their birthdays and it just happened that it is his new companion's birthday.  Anyway here is the latest from the San Fernando Valley.

Hey Mom,

Thanks for the wonderful email. Sorry this week as well I will be sending my email a little late. Hope you haven't been worrying or anything. Also small caution before I start. We have been fasting and attending the temple and so my mind and body are just toast. I am not responsible for any errors or the spaciness in this email.

Sorry the weather is so bad over there. Here it is fine temperature wise but the air quality is not  so good. We don't watch the news so we don't know much but I think there are fires or something going on not to mention all the potheads here. They aren't helping the pollution much ha-ha.

The pollution make for beautiful sunsets!

 Great to hear about Dad's new calling. I know he is going to kill it! I wish I could sit in for a lesson or two. Let me know how it goes. Tim was companions with me for home teaching and now he gets my senior companion! Funny full circle.

My new companion, Elder Spears, is just great. He is huge and his favorite foods are raspberries and honey. I am companions with a bear :) He and I work great together and just as Alma said we too have seen many miracles wrought in this land.

 

Elder Spear doing laundry.

Crazy to hear that I have been out in California 100 days. It feels like nothing...wish it could feel the same for you but I am happy to hear you are keeping busy with your goals! That’s awesome, way to go! You'd be the perfect investigator. But since you are already baptized you'll just have to be the perfect member. I am proud of what you are doing, keep it up :)

It is really great to teaching the Plan of Salvation.  It is such simple doctrine, that we are children of God. When you look and teach from that view point a lot of the "life questions" make more sense. Where are we going, where did we come from, why am I here? When we learn and know that we are children of an all powerful and loving Father in heaven. It starts to click easier.  Be prayerful and you will learn what your class needs to hear.

Sorry if this email is rough, I am struggling to even type and I have to keep looking over your email to see what to write about, what's new and what's going on over here.

FYI I can grow a half beard and a nasty stache in a day. It's awesome that the time when I can't have facial hair is when my body decides it’s down with it. What a drag. 

We have found 5 new investigators this week and we have seen miracles in all the cases that we found people to teach. Our old investigator Juventino is getting baptized on the 11th of Feb. Although he is now out of our area and not "our" investigator I am happy another soul is coming unto Christ because of the seeds I planted. He bore his testimony in class and it was really humble and powerful. I am excited for him.

As you know we went to the temple today. It was wonderful, just as it always was at home. When it was all done though I wanted to leave fast. To get back to my work with the living.

One miracle I want to share is we found his happy, happy, happy man named Iven. We set up an appointment and told him to invite his family when we came by. Turns out he has a lot of family. I was blessed with the opportunity to teach close to 13 people in one house. They were having a birthday party but when we came in everyone cleaned up the cake and grabbed chairs to sit and listen to our message. People can truly recognize us as servants of the Lord. And on top of everything I was able to teach them in English. It was a beautiful lesson and I felt as close as I could get to my version of the Sermon on the Mount. It was such a tender mercy.

I truly see miracles everyday out here. I stand tall next to prophets of old because this is the same work. I gain power and faith from the testimony of those prophets "from the dust." This work is eternal.  It is beautiful and simple. I am so happy that you are a part of it with me.  Love you mother.  Love you so much.

Elder Bagley 

Elder Bagley and Elder Spear...I'm in a car area now!

Our ride is a little bit nicer than the ole Tarus

Got to enjoy a day at the temple.