September 11, 2017

Hello everyone,

This has been a pretty good week. We were able to go on exchanges. That is always fun to be able to go on exchanges with other missionaries and get to know them. I went with Elder Brown. He is from Ohio. It was a fun exchange. We were able to hit the bikes and talk with a lot of people. We were able to send off a lot of referrals which was cool because I always like getting referrals. But not a whole lot of craziness happened while we were on exchanges. We were just able to get to know each other and become better Missionaries. 

Then I got to go on a spilt with one of my former companions Elder Pearson. It was fun to be able to be with him. We were helping out the hermanas (sister missionaries) in there area. They are in the Spanish ward, it was kind of hard to talk with them because neither of us can speak Spanish. But it is all right because Heavenly Father made up the difference. 

Then we have been working with this guy named Edward. He wants to get baptized but he has just been out of town for the last few weeks. So it's been hard to meet with him. He had a baptismal date for September 16, but we had to take him off because we haven't been able to stay in touch with him very well. But once we can get in contact I am sure that we will be able to make that covenant of baptism with Heavenly Father. 

Then early this week we got a call from some missionaries. They told us that one of the missionaries ate a tree nut. He is allergic to tree nuts. So we hurried to their apartment to see what little help we could offer. We got there and called the mission doctor. He headed right out to see how he could help. By the time that the doctor got there the missionary was having trouble breathing and sounded like an old man who has smoked for 40 years. The mission doctor to one look at him and said that we have to go to the hospital asap. So they got in his car and I followed him. I was going at high speeds just to keep up with him. It was a pretty crazy ride weaving through traffic. But we got to the hospital and they treated him and he is doing much better. It seemed to be pretty close. Too close for me, but every one is all right. 

Then during the week I had a few thoughts that I felt I should right down. 

Thoughts of The Week

Raise a Voice of warning.

We talked to this guy on the street named Leonard. He. Was an older gentleman who was going to the storee when we talked with him. He stopped on his way to talk to us. We tried to relate how going to the store is like getting fed physically. We asked him what he does to be able to get fed spirtually. He said that he likse to read the Bible. We were like, "Oh yeah we like that!" 

As we started to ask him question about how he looks to prophets we posed the question "Does God still have prophets today?" He said no. But as we were able to talk with him he seemed sincere about what he believed but it was just hard for me to understand about how he believes that God once has prophets but doesn't have any anymore. So as we talked with him this was the first time that I had a conversion with someone on the street that didn't turn into a Bible-Bash. But a really good discussion. I hope that we were able to raise a voice of warning for him that he might be able to some day pick up the Book of Mormon and have some sincerity and real intent when he reads it.

Jesus knows what we are going through. 

We went and saw this less active named "TJ." He is. Really cool young man who is trying to quit smoking. As we talked he talked about his struggles of wanting to play football and not being able to. Then he talked about how he is trying to give up smoking, but it is so hard for him to do that. I could not relate to him because I have never had a challenge like that. But I sure know of someone who is living and breathing just like I am living and breathing. That is Jesus Christ. He knows what we are all going through. As Elder Yorgason and I testified that the Savior knos what challenges he faces I had a feeling of peace go over that I didn't need to know what he is going through. Just the fact that Jesus is there and He will always be there is enough for me. I love and testify that the Savior lives. He know you and me on a personal level and always wants the best for us. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able have this knowledge and I will be forever grateful for His sacrifice.

I hope you all have a great week! Let me know if I can do anything for you!

Sincerely,

Elder Berry

September 4, 2017

Hello Everyone,

This week has been a hot week! The first way that it has been hot is there was a few days that it has been 110 degrees or more. Then it has been kind of muggy. It good to have a change from the semi cold winter. Summer is a time where there is a a lot of growth in the crops and things that we eat so we need to have the summer. This week flew by. I can't believe that it is pday again! We have been super busy. From the many appointments we have, we talk so long that we are late for our next appointments.  But that's one things that we are really trying to work on is
not just being on time but being a few minutes early to things so that we aren't running to everything.

But this week we were able to go and do a lot of team ups with some missionaries. That is so fun to be able to work with some great missionaries. I get the chance to learn so much from them. There are a lot of things that you can learn from some one if you just take the time to listen. On one of the team ups I was back in the ghetto. But it was different this time because I had already spent most of my mission the ghetto. I actually kind of missed the ghetto and was super grateful to have the chance to be back in there for a few hours.

We had a mission tour this week. Elder Hugo E. Martinez came to the mission. I got to go to a MLC and listen to him talked about obedience. One thing that he said that I really like is "Obedience is a measure of love for our Heavenly Father." I never thought of that as an expression of love. It's truly cool to see as your knowledge grows that you are able to increase in your patience and love for different things. The more you understand the more that you want to do what is right because you understand the principle of why you do something instead of the requirement of doing something.

Then President Hymas talked about how we need to follow spiritual promptings. We read D.C. 50:10-20 or so. He really focused on vs 14. Really showed how important it is that we not only do things by the Spirit for missionary work but also in life. It was really cool and the spirit was extremely strong.

After MLC he interview a handful of missionaries. And I was one of the missionaries chosen. That was a crazy experience to get to spend 15 minutes talking about goals in life, family, and the thing that he wanted me to share with all of you is how grateful he is for all that you do is being great people. He sends his love as well the love of the
prophet. He told me to always involve the Lord in my efforts. He said look at all people who are happy in life. Not just worldly happy but truly happy with where they are at. He said that those people are
people who involve the Lord in ALL the things that they do.

I hope you all have a great week! It great to hear that life is going well.

Oh p.s. I got to see Elder Anderson this week! That was fun!

Sincerely,

Elder Berry

 

August 29, 2017

Hello Everyone,

This week has been crazy. Transfers have come and I have been transferred to the Elk Grove Zone. I will be serving in the Consumers River YSA Ward. My new companion is from Logan Utah. Elder Yorgason is awesome. I am lucky to have him as my companion. We are going to be super busy and will be able to see a lot of great things transfers.

It was hard to say goodbye to the diamond Springs Ward but it's going to be fun to be able to meet a lot of new people and see what Heavenly Father has in store for me this transfer.

Before I got to leave I got to go and help this guy move who is heading to Hope, Idaho. He was pretty excited about the move. He like that he will have more land to do thing things that he wants to. He was really excited about the hunting and the fishing up in Idaho. Once he found out he was asking me a ton of questions about it and I tried to answer them but since they are going to be on another side of the state I couldn't tell him all of the things he could do up there.

We had an awesome lesson with an investigator named Edward yesterday. We taught him about faith and it was a super fun lesson to see him grow and be able to learn more by watching seeing his testimony grow. While we were talking with him he told us that over the next week and a half that he
is going to be biking down to Los Angeles. So that's going to be pretty crazy. He was telling us that it's about a day and a half bike ride. Hopefully he is able to make it there safely and nothing bad happens.

Other then getting settled into the apartment and getting to know the new ward life is going good for me. It's great be be back in Elk Grove. I was here almost exactly one year ago and it's cool to see how
people have changed and what things have happened since then.

Sincerely,
Elder Berry