Monday, September 22, 2014

I'm staying...hallelujah!

Hello! So this week was sooooo busy! But it was sooo good (: so many great experiences! 

I survived transfers! Elder Gerber and I are staying!!!!!! (: We are so excited! Especially with Ben's baptism coming up this Saturday! It will be so great (: We are so excited! His baptism was announced yesterday in church and that was so cool. We had a lot of people at church yesterday! We had Ben and his girlfriend, Anna. Then we had Ryan, which was great (he smooched this girl right on the cheek while we were walking to sunday school!) Then William came. We met him last Monday and invited him, and he actually came! That was a miracle (: Then we had a couple less actives show up. So it was a successful Sunday! 

We had Mission Leadership Council this week, with Elder Malm, the general authority who is on the missionary board! it was soooo good! We also went to a fireside by him, and we had a zone conference with him. It was such a busy week! So many meetings! But the spirit was so strong all week! I was definitely humbled by the things Elder Malm talked about it. I definitely know a lot of new things I can work on! They are basic things too... So it'll be great (: After zone conference Elder Malm picked a few people to interview, and Elder Gerber and I were 2 of them! It was a really cool experience! My interview was really short though... everybody was in there for like 10 minutes and I was in there for like 3! He asked me how many months I have been serving, and I had to think about it... I really didn't know! It was so weird! I have just been so lost in doing the work that I hadn't even thought about that for a while! It was a great experience (: I also accompanied Elder Navarrete in a musical number at the fireside... and it wasn't the best I'd ever done, but that's okay! Definitely a learning experience (: 

But yeah it was a great week. We are so excited to be staying! I know this church is true! My testimony was really strengthened this week (: Love and miss you lots! Talk to you next week! 

Love,
Elder Teeples (:

Elder Gerber and Elder De Costa, one of our roommates.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Another day in paradise...103 degrees....ouch

Hello (: 

This week was a great week! We got some good work done. I also got sick a couple days... Fever, fatigue, etc... It wasn't fun, but I feel better now!! (: It has been sooooo hot yesterday! It was 103 yesterday when we got to church. We went on a couple exchanges and for one of them we walked all day because their bikes weren't working. So we just drank lots of water and walked in the sun all day (: It was great! Both exchanges went really good. I went with Elder Kanenwisher last Tuesday. We just seemed to be busy all day doing things. It was cool going on a second exchange with him! I really like Elder Kanenwisher! We just worked hard all day and we were really effective in our efforts. I went with Elder Walker on Saturday and that was when it was blazing hot... that was when we walked all day so I got to talk with him about a lot of things. He is a great missionary. He is really good at connecting with people! I was really surprised. We spent the morning talking to this guy at a garage sale, who was in his 70s or so. After listening to a couple of his stories he brought us into his home and showed us pictures of his family. It was so great! We really felt like we made a friend. It was cool (: 

Ryan is doing great! We saw him a few times this week. A couple times he was really distracted but it was pretty good. He is just as funny as ever though! He likes to link arms with Elder Gerber and I when we walk around at church haha (: I've really come to love him a lot! It's so interesting too, because I never really spent much time around people with special needs. I have really come to love being around Ryan though. He is really great!

Ben and Anna are doing so great! I love every chance we get to teach them. We taught them about Priesthood and Auxiliaries, which was a long lesson, but it went really good! They had so many questions, but we did our best to answer them. We moved his baptismal date to September 27th so he has time to work out his marriage papers before he gets baptized. Thats the Saturday after transfers, so I reeeaaaalllyyy hope that I survive transfers here! We have a lesson scheduled with them this week, and we are excited for it!

Elder Gerber is doing awesome! We've gotten along so well this transfer. Things are going smoothly and we are coming up with ways of how we can be more effective in this ward. We seem to be spending a lot of our time in neighborhoods where there aren't many YSA's... We thought about it a lot. We are thinking about spending a lot more time up by the institute in Moorpark, and around the restaurants by the campus. And around apartment complexes. It should be really good. We also have a chance to proselyte on Moorpark campus with a student so that should be so awesome! The member just got off her mission and she is so excited to proselyte again!

Well have a wonderful week! Thank you for all your love and prayers (: Talk to you next week! 

Love,
Elder Teeples (:

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

I love Chinese!

Hello! (:

So... Crazy story for this week!: It happened last night. We had like 6 more minutes to walk around our apartment complex before going in at night, and we saw some Chinese people cooking food on their porch (they were on the second floor of the building) and we told them that it smelt good, and one of them said, "Come try?" So we went up, and another Chinese guy who spoke more english came out and invited us in. They gave us chopsticks, and a big chicken wing, and sat us down at their table They had soooo much food and soooo many people in their apartment! Apparently it was the "mid-autumn celebration" Then they placed this soup in front of us.. It was water that had dates, lotus seeds, and this clear leafy stuff in it.... It was somewhat bland, but after eating almost the whole thing, we asked what the clear leafy stuff was, and one of the Chinese people put it into a translator on his phone, and showed us. It was FUNGUS!! So that was a new experience... Then they gave us a brownie thing that had a dried out egg yolk cooked into the middle of it.... needless to say it was quite the experience. But we had good conversations the whole time with the Chinese people (: Elder Gerber and I were like teaching two different lessons. I have come to really like Chinse people! They are so humble and super nice. We are going to start teaching one of the YSA Chinese people we met last night (:

This week was really great! We were really busy with with some paperwork and also with preparing the stake report for our meeting with the stake presidency yesterday. So we didn't get too much done this week. The meeting went really well! It is so good to see that the stake has a lot of support towards our hopes and causes as leadership. 

This week we went on an exchange with Elder Lee and it was so great! He really set a good example for us on how to preach the gospel and talk to everyone at all times no matter what, even if it is super awkward. I used to be like that, but I seem to have gotten out of the habit. So Elder Gerber and I are doing our best to talk to everyone, no matter what happens. This was my 3rd exchange with Elder Lee, and I was so happy that I got to go on another exchange with him! He is so humble and he sets a great example. We have really become great friends, and he is from Lindon so he's not too far away (:

This week we saw Ryan a few times. He is so funny! At church he kept telling me that I "looked good for my age" and that he "likes my hair" haha. He didn't really want to come to church yesterday, but ended up coming anyways. We had some good lessons and he seems to be retaining a lot, and he is really progressing. 

We saw Alonso last night. Finally got a hold of him! He didn't come to church, but we are hoping to establish daily contact, so we don't lose contact with him again. 

Elder Gerber is doing awesome. I really love him as a companion. We are getting along really well! We have really good conversations, and he is helping me to start meditating (: Which is something I have really come to need. I need to learn to relax my body. I feel as if California is rubbing off on me in that aspect, of just being chill and hippy-like (: While being Christlike as well. My mission has been such a blessing to me! I love this Gospel and I absolutely love being able to share it with everybody that I can! Thank you for all your love and support! It truly is a blessing to me in my life, and I will forever be grateful for it (: You are in my prayers! Have a miraculous week! 

Love,
ElderTeeples 

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

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