Week 9--September 16, 2013

Hey everybody It's been an awesome week!

My new Companion is Elder Reed, from Reno, NV, he is absolutely awesome! He and I get a long super well, and we are very effective together, and he taught me how to solve the rubik's cube. It's awesome how good of a follow up trainer he is, I really think that He is helping me become the missionary that I need to be! It's awesome to see how much we can accomplish together. 

I have had some pretty amazing experiences this week.

First, Seeing the "Ballard Promise" in action. The Ballard promise is a promise that Elder Ballard made to missionaries that if we would talk to 10 people, 20 per companionship, on the street outside of tracting and open our mouths, our convert baptisms will double. So as we have gotten our OYM's  everyday, this week and made sure that every one of them was effective, we picked up 5 new investigators through street contacts.

Second, If as missionaries we make a promise, that a blessings will come if someone keeps a commitment, no matter how much of a miracle it is, it will happen. One of our investigators named Anthony, his wife was in the Hospital with pneumonia and the doctors were scared as to whether or not her and her unborn child would survive. As we were having this lesson with him and he brought the situation up, he told us that he was going to go visit her that night. I promised him that if he took a Book of Mormon with him and read 3 Nephi 11 with his wife in the hospital, then she would be out of the hospital by the end of the week. He Kept that commitment and she was out of the Hospital the next day.

It has been an awesome week, and I feel like Devon (Captain Awesome) from Chuck because I am saying awesome so much.

Love you guys

Elder Bangerter

Week 8--September 9, 2013

Wow it has been an amazing 6 weeks here in Lake Elsinore! I have learned and grown so much it's crazy, and It is one of the most amazing feelings serving the Lord! 

We got the call that Elder Elliott was being transferred out at 9:30 Saturday night, and he was transferred out today to the Valle Vista ward in Hemet. I can't tell if he was excited or not. He called his new companion who is there now, and asked if Hemet is really as bad as everybody says it is, the Elder told him that his companion couldn't sleep most nights because of all the sirens and gunshots... So it'll be an adventure for him.

My new companion, Elder Reed, will arrive in Lake Elsinore around 4 this afternoon. I'm excited, from what everybody tells me he is an awesome missionary. They are splitting my district and Elder Reed was brought in to be the new district leader, so it'll be an awesome experience.

This week we have done a lot of stuff, we didn't get as many lessons this week but we got a lot of stuff done. We, really just me, rearranged our room. We cleaned up a lot of our ward records, and got this week planned. Now I'm just waiting around for my new companion, playing ball.

Hope everyone is doing well,

Elder Bangerter

Week 7--September 2, 2013

Hey everybody!

It has been an amazing week! We had a baptism this weekend and the picture attached is from the baptism.

Yeah, so our investigator, Lisa, was baptized this past Saturday, It is truly amazing how the gospel can change someone's life. Lisa asked me to speak at the baptism, on baptism, and it was just an amazing experience, the spirit was so strong there, and it is incredible to see the changes in Lisa's life, and in her boyfriend Zack's life as he overcame a lot to be able to baptize her.

I feel that I have learned so much this past week! I have learned the Importance and the difference that being bold can make. As I was on splits with Elder Carbonneau this week I truly learned how big of a difference that being bold can be. As we were teaching one of his investigators the investigator was trying to flake on his baptism and Elder Carbonneau basically told him that If he didn't get baptized that week on his set date, then Satan would gain control of him and he would never be baptized. The investigator was baptized on Friday. I have learned so much about just always trying to love my companion. There are quite a few days that he just drives me insane, but I have learned to look past that and to Love him any way.

I have really been studying and pondering a lot this week and one of the talks that I have been reading is the Character of Christ by David A. Bednar and it is truly an amazing talk and I personally have learned so much and been very uplifted from it. Here is a quote from it

"Perhaps the greatest indicator of character is the capacity to recognize and appropriately respond to other people who are experiencing the very challenge or adversity that is most immediately and forcefully pressing upon us. Character is revealed, for example, in the power to discern the suffering of other people when we ourselves are suffering; in the ability to detect the hunger of others when we are hungry; and in the power to reach out and extend compassion for the spiritual agony of others when we are in the midst of our own spiritual distress. Thus, character is demonstrated by looking and reaching outward when the natural and instinctive response is to be self-absorbed and turn inward. If such a capacity is indeed the ultimate criterion of moral character, then the Savior of the world is the perfect example of such a consistent and charitable character." -David A. Bednar

I hope that all is going well

Elder Bangerter

Week 6--August 26, 2013

It's been another great week! Everyday I grow to love it more and more here.

It was awesome getting the package from home, and I hope everyone writes me because I love getting letters.

We have a baptism scheduled for Saturday for Lisa.  It has just been an amazing experience to see her progress and grow in the gospel, we started teaching her on my second day in the area, so I have been here and seen her progress from nothing to a full believer in the gospel. Satan has been working so hard in our zone that it's crazy, we have had in the zone 3 scheduled baptisms for people who were very solid cancel on us. Luckily all of the people that have canceled have rescheduled for the upcoming weeks. 

It's just amazing to see how the lord blesses peoples lives. I have had so many experiences thus far on my mission that I have no doubt in my mind that this is the lord's church on the earth today. I know that Jesus Christ Lives and that he is our savior and redeemer.

Elder Bangerter

Week 5--August 19, 2013

Hey everybody!

It's been another crazy week! But this past week went by really fast. 

Tuesday, During my personal study I was studying a lot about the parable of the workers in the Lord's vineyard, so I would read the parable a couple times, then I would ponder it, then I would read what it says about the parable in Jesus the Christ. While I was reading some things really stuck out to me, first the Lord is always looking for servants and people to work in his vineyard, he doesn't care how long you've been there, he just cares that you served him at the end of the day.  Second, If we serve the Lord because we want the blessings, he will give you those blessings and nothing more, Whereas if we serve the Lord with faith that he will provide for you, he will bless us with every blessing that we need. Finally, I feel really impressed that we need to serve the Lord because we love him, Not just to be obedient, or for the blessings, We need to serve the Lord because we love him. I feel that as Elder Holland said, there will come a time when we will come face to face with Christ, and he will ask us "Did you Love me?" and I personally want to be able to say "Yea Lord, Thou knowest that I love thee." 

We had our district meeting later that day and I had to role play with one of the other Elders, and after the role play, one of our zone leader's (Elder Albright) said "You know everyone has there greatest strengths and weaknesses and I really feel that Elder Bangerter's greatest strength is the love that he exhibits towards everyone. You can see it in his eyes, and hear it in his voice." 

Wednesday, I was on splits in Temescal Canyon, I got to meet some more amazing people it was awesome. I spent the day with Elder Bushman, and we both being greenies fresh out of the MTC we gave 3 blessings on Wednesday.

Thursday, We got to go to the Temple, and a few weeks ago they released a new endowment video, so we got to see that. It was incredible, there is added emotion that definitely helps me personally learn a lot more. I would encourage all of you guys to go see it as it is amazing.

Lessons with our investigators are going great, incredible in fact, but we did have to push the dates for the baptisms for all of our investigators back a little bit for logistical reasons and because two of them were sick, and they have to be at church 3 times before they can be baptized. We do have 2 more people on date for baptism though so we had to sacrifice a little time but we should have 5 baptisms the first two weeks in September. 

I hope all is well with everyone,

Elder Bangerter

Week 4--August 12, 2013

Hey Everybody!

It has been another great and crazy week. We have been biking between 20-45 miles everyday, that alone is very tiring. Since coming out I have put on 5 pounds, but it looks like I have actually lost some weight since leaving the MTC. I'm so glad to hear from everybody, it is awesome.

I am growing to love it more here everyday, the people are amazing, and it is so beautiful here. We have had a lot of great lessons and we currently are getting the most Member present lessons in the whole zone averaging 12 a week! We still have Three investigators on date for baptism for this month, and all of them are excited and progressing very well towards baptism.

Of our dinner appointments 5 of them canceled last week, someone fed us every day but it's a little frustrating when the original appointments cancel. We ended up having In-N-Out 3 times this past week. But we're surviving pretty well ;)

I have been reading a lot from Our Search for Happiness by M. Russell Ballard a lot lately, and it is an absolutely incredible book and resource. The book is very much directed at non members but it gives amazing insight on almost every lesson we teach as missionaries. I have also been studying a lot of Christs Parables, especially the parable of the laborers in the lord's vineyard, so I'll read the parable through a couple times, and then ponder what I think that the Savior is trying to teach, and then I'll go and study the parable again through Jesus the Christ. It is absolutely incredible the insights that I have received.

It has been a crazy week I hope everybody is doing well

Elder Bangerter

Week 3--August 5, 2013

Holy First week!!!

It was awesome to talk to you guys on Tuesday! As Sister Smart said I am currently serving in the Lake Elsinore area/ward in the Lake Elsinore Zone, which happens to be the Largest bike area in the mission. My bike has been running great and it has been awesome so far, except biking up the hill in Tuscany, which when we go down it we get going close to 60mph just coasting. Elder Elliot and I live in a home share with a family, they are awesome, and their son reminds me a lot of Cody.

It has been a crazy week for lessons, there have been days where we have 6 scheduled lessons, and there have been days when we have none. As of this week we have 4 investigators committed to baptism, and at least 2 more who are very close to committing to baptism. First there is Cheyenne, and her boyfriend Jeff, who are committed and looking forward to being baptized on August 31st.

Then there is Lisa, who has committed to be baptized on the 31st as well, Elder Elliot and I are very impressed with her progress, because we have only had one lesson with her, but she has come to church twice and she fasted on her own yesterday to know if the church was true. Then there is Melissa who was scheduled to be baptized in June but she decided she didn't feel ready to be baptized, she still wants to be baptized but we don't yet have a date for her to be baptized. 

Lake Elsinore is a lot like Houston, its very hot but its not quite as humid as it is at home. Its a great area and zone, and we actually don't really play basketball on P-Day, we play lots of Volleyball. Lots of Awesome stuff happening here:)

Elder Bangerter

If you want his address to write to him, let me know in the comments and I will email it to you.  :-)  Sharon