October 23, 2017

Hello Everyone,

This has been a really fast and fun week. We had a really busy week and I am very tired so you will have to excuse anything that does not make sense.

To start we started by going on a team up with a couple of Elders. A team up is when you go with another missionary for a few hours. I went with Elder Martineau . He has been on his mission for about 6 Months. The area that he is serving  pretty rural. We started off the night by trying to track down a referral for a member. But him being new in the area and I never really have been in their area before we got lost and spent a good while trying to find where they lived. By the time that we had got there the house looked like everyone was asleep. We didn’t feel it would be a good idea to go and knock on because people would have just gotten mad at us for getting to there house so late. So we went and saw a convert of a few years and set up a time for them to come aback and teach some of 5e new member lessons. It was good to be out with Elder Martineau and learn a little form him.

Them I got to go on a team up with Elder Edgington. We were able to hit the bikes for a few hours and talk with some people. We talked to this guy named B.J. A really nice man but he doesn’t believe in god. He asked us how we are so successful and we said we could come back but he didn’t really want us to come back. He was convertible in his life. Most people are comfortable in life so they don’t think that they really need anything else in life. But we went to one of their Progressing Investigators and and talked about seeking first the kingdom of god 1 Nephi 13:33. We invited her to pray about baptism and she said that she would pray about it. That was a really exciting night.

We got a call from this lady asking help to move this Hoarder. It was horrible. It was probably one of the worst houses I ha e ever moved. I looked inside her fridge just to see what it was like. One breath in and look inside I start to through up. It was so nasty. Sorry I didn’t get any pictures. But it was so back that you could Bailey walk into the front door. Hopefully they will be able to get all of the stuff gone soon and they will get everything done.

We had Zone conference this week. It was focused on teaching the restoration and getting back to the basics. It was really good. We really went through the time line of the restoration and apostasy how ever thing played out in years. When you have a foundation based on Christ you can really start to understand the small details of how the little things happened. I got to see Elder Anderson there whatcha was so good to see him. 

To finish up the week I went on an exchange with Elder Snow. We both came out together and this was my second Exchange with his and it was really fun. We went to this former investigator's house named Marquis. A really cool guy. We invited him to be baptized and he agreed to, but he will ha e to come to church first. That was his big problem why he wasn’t baptized last time so hopefully he will be i in a place to where he can be baptized and he wants to come to church!

I hope you all have a great week! Continue to hold strong there is light at the end of the tunnel!!

Love,

Elder Berry

 

October 16, 2017

Hello,

This week has been a really fun week. Elder Nelson is a lot of fun. This week has been a lot of craziness. Elder Nelson grew up here the first 13 years of his life here in Elk Grove so as we have been doing missionary work we would run into people that he knew back from when he lived here.

This week we did a lot of finding this week. But in the middle of finding we had to help some sisters change their tire. It was a really fast week.

Sorry I am distracted this week just a lot of things happening and things that need to be planned. This Wednesday we have Zone Conference. I am really excited about that. The theme of the focus of
the conference in the restoration and I am extremely excited for it. It's always so good to get back to the basics of the gospel and strengthen your testimony in the little things.

Today as a zone we had a zone activity. We did a bunch of minute to win it games. It was fun but it can be hard to plan for a whole zone with 20 different people in it. But I think that everyone had fun. At least they seemed to have fun.

Next week I will for sure not be as distracted but there is a lot to think about this coming week.

Sincerely,
Elder Berry

October 10, 2017

Hello,

As you probably know but we had transfers this weekend that is why I am emailing to day. Sorry I didn't say anything last week I totally forgot to mention that last week. I will be staying in the CRW YSA in Elk Grove. My new companion is Elder Nelson. He is from Meridian, Idaho. It going to be a pretty fun transfer. There are lot of great
things in the works.

This week we got to help at a set up for a pumpkin festival which I was able to help out last when I was on Elk Grove the first time. It's so weird being back here during the same time.


We took Elder Pearson (my old companion) down to the mission office. Because he finished his mission. It really weird thinking about all of the missionaries that are going home. I never would have thought how fast time has gone. It has gone in a blink of an eye.

Sorry this email is so short. Not a lot happened this week besides trying to help get people transferred and everything. I am excited for next week. We are going to be working as a zone on righteous desires.

I hope that you all have a great week and you know that the church is true, the Book of Mormon is true and I love being a missionary.

Have a great week.

Sincerely,
Elder Berry

October 2, 2017

Hello everyone,

I want to start by wishing you a happy October. It crazy that it is October and we are in the holiday season. Time never seems to slow down for anything. But what can happen is I can get more time on my mission. My mission has been extended. Instead of coming home on June 16. I will be coming home on June 20. This happened because it just helps out with making the transfer process a little easier for the missionaries across the world. 

I got to go on an exchange with one of my old companions this week. That was really fun I went with Elder Pearson. It so way fun being with him. It has been about 3 months since I have been with him but it didn't even feel like it has been that long. We were able to go and see this returning less active member who has a friend that wants to know more about the church. It was just really cool to see how we set up a time to meet with this person and it actually happened. It just shows the difference that happens when you work through members verses trying to do everything by your self. 

I was also able to go on a couple of team as well this week. I was able to go on one with Elder Snow. We were in the MTC together. It was really fun to see the changes that he has had. This was the first time that I have served around since the MTC. But we met this YSA named Danny. He was super cool. He had just losses a love one and we were able to read some scriptures about the plan of salvation with him and he seemed to enjoy it. Hopefully we will be able to work with him in the coming week. The other team up that I got to go on was with Elder Cook. He is a fun loving Elder who likes to have fun but really is able to work hard at the same time. You would never really know how many cool people that there are in the world if you would just take the time to just talk with the person standing next to you.

We had MLC (Missionary Leadership Council) on Friday. So this weekend was full of a lot of great stuff. One thing that was really talked about was faith and hope. Sister Hymas said something that really has stuck with me. She said "Our strength comes from obedience, our courage comes from faith & hope." As I though about this I came to understand that life is hard. And it's up to our attitude to weather we enjoy our trials or we are miserable. But MLC was great a lot of great things learned and talked about. 

But General Conference was awesome to. It was sad to see Elder Hales pass away. But I know that he is a great man and he has done all that he needs. I hope his family is doing good. But there are a lot of things that I love from Conference. 1st was from Elder Stephen W. Owen he said "You can loose everything that you have learned or gained for your testimony in a matter of months if you don't maintain it." We don't just gain something and have it forever sitting on a shelf. Like a car you have to change the oil put gar in it and so on. It won't last very long if you don't maintain it. Then from Elder John C. Pingree Jr. he said "There can be much good if I desire." I think much if life if we really don't want something. Then we won't give our all in getting it. It is when we give our everything for something good when we are able to truly see great things happen. 3rd Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said "Be more god like in the little things!!!"  I had never really thought about being more god like in the little things. Like I always heard growing up perfect practice makes perfect. If we are striving to be like god then most of the time we will be perfect in our effort because we are doing what our Heavenly Father wants us to do because we love him. 

To finish I hope you know that I know that President Monson is a prophet. He is led by god. The Book of Mormon is the word of god, most important god has and will always love you!!

I hope you all have a great week!

Sincerely,

Elder Berry

A guy found a tv and was walking done the street with it. 

September 25, 2017

Hello everyone,

This week has been a great week!

As a zone we are trying to invite 200 people to be baptized in about 20 days. As we have set a goal that is going to stretch us it has been so cool to see the miracles that Heavenly Father has been working in the people that we get to teach. It crazy on how many miracles there has been as a zone.

To start I was able to go on a team up with a Elder named Elder Edgington. We were able to hit the bikes and talk to a lot of people. We invited a few people. There were not a whole lot of people that really wanted to know more or talk to us about the Book of Mormon. So towards the end of the team up and decided to knock a random door. When we went and knocked that door a kid came out and started to talked with us. As we talked with him he told us how he has been to a Mormon church before with his friend before he had moved into his current house. We then talked about baptisms and the need for it. We then invited him to be baptized and he said yes. We were able to get his phone number and I look forward to see how he is able to progress towards baptism. 

Then I got to go on an exchange with Elder Tillack. He is a new missionary who has been out from the MTC for about a month. He has had a lot of growth. We were really able to focus on talking with everyone and tried to have a powerful exchange. The whole day there was not a lot of people that would really talk with us very much. But that ok. We continued to work and when it was time to go home we were biking home and Elder Tillack saw someone that I didn't and he went and talked to him. I was grateful that he had saw him. Nothing really came from the contact but it was cool to see how much Elder Tillack had grown over that exchange.

We had a Investigator who was on date to get baptized. But he went on a trip to L.A. Those trips will really get you. He went on the trip and decided that he wants to live there so he is not coming back. I was like what! But that's ok he said that he wants to meet with missionaries down there. So that was good to hear that he is still wanting to get baptized. 

We have been trying to find more people to teach so we decided to go to the local university and just with the young adults on the campus. It was pretty fun. We met this person named Joey and we gave him a Book of Mormon. He is trying to learn Spanish so he asked if we could get him one in Spanish. So hopefully we will be able to get that to him this week. 

Then I had a weird experience last night. We were walking around an apartment complex looking for a member of our ward to see where he lives. We didn't have any luck there. But we stopped and talked with this guy who was not very interested and didn't give us the time of day. But right after that the lord blessed us with this guy named Martin who came out and invited us into him home. He is a 7 Day Adventist. But really cool.  He talked about how he use to do that and he prayed for us and wish us the best in our endeavors. He wasn't really interested in learning about what we believe but it was cool to see that the spirit work in many different people's lives. 

I hope you all have a great week

Elder Berry

Faith, Hope, Charity

This week has been full of different kind of studies, but the thing that stood out to me most this week was Faith, Hope, Charity. As i was studying i read Moroni 7:46 which says "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail." Charity is the greatest according to the word of god. As i was studying i always heard and read that we need to have Faith, Hope, Charity. If Charity is so important and so great then why is Charity not first in the order? 

I started to study faith first because that is the first thing that i have always heard. So i learned that we all need to have faith as we do have faith it is always followed by action. Weather it be someone wanting to get to know Christ better so they will read scriptures about Christ so they can know him better. Or for instance someone wants o be the best at a sport they are going to practice a lot more then the other people so that they are better. Then last but not least if we want to grow our testimony we are going to read the scriptures, pray, follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and so on. That is what i learned about faith. There is always an action that follows faith. Other wise as the Apostle Paul teaches the faith will die.

I followed studying faith by studying hope. Hope is a great thing. Hope is having the confidence that miracles will happen in your life. Weather you need help trying to work on a project. Heavenly Father will help you as you have the faith or the works and the hope to figure out how to finish the project. I have come to decide that hope is merely the attitude that we have as we have faith in something or are working to wards something. Hope has been and will always be intermingled with faith. If not we are doing something wrong.

Then last but not least charity. What is so important about charity i ask myself? Well charity is the pure love of christ. Charity will always hope for things which are not seen. Charity prays that your peers will succeed. Charity is giving to someone who is in need. I think charity is a means to an end. Not a end to a means. Charity is a  way for us to have hope in our lives as we grow our faith. I don't think you can have the 1 with out the other 2. It is so important that we have faith or works but we also have a good attitude/hope witch will lead us to have real intent. And as charity is the pure love of christ we will always do as christ does if we strive to be life him everyday. All the other things will be taken care of if we focus on the little things.

September 18, 2017

Hey,

This week was really fun. After getting to email last week we headed up to the mission home to spend a few hours with President and Sister Hymas. It was super fun we got to go with my whole zone along with  another zone. It was so much fun. We played a lot of fun games. We really got to know the Hymas's better. Got to see some old comps. It was really fun. 

Then I got to go on an exchange with a new missionary named Elder Henry. He is from Spanish fork Utah. He is really tall as well. He has been in the field for about 3 weeks so it was cool to see the growth that he has had since the first time that I got to go out with him. During the exchange we saw these people parked on the side of the road with their hazards on. We stopped and were able to help them. They didn't speak much English so we got to help them call a tow truck to help pick them up. They live down in Stockton, CA so we were able to follow up with them. But we were able to get their contact info and refer it to the missionaries down there. That was pretty cool.

Then we were able to do some family history with a recent convert in this ward named Ian. We help get him started and pointed in the right direction. But while we were with him we didn't have much success if finding any names. But after we left we got s message from him saying that he was working on it and he found a big tree line in his tree and he found some names to do at the temple. When he went to the temple he had a really cool experience. He had mentioned to us that he can see why so many people like to go to the temple so often. Pretty cool to see the change that he has had. 

Then I had an interview with president Hymas. It was really cool. Now that I know him it really is more personal and really can feel the loves that he has not just for me but for all the missionaries. 

Then through studies this week I really understand better a few things.....

Real Intent

This week i have bee focusing a lot of Having "Real Intent" as you do all things in your life. It has definitely been cool to see how much you get out of things when you put a lot more effort into them. Crazy to think that's how things work. Threw this last week i have seen a lot of people who have done the same thing. For example reading the Book of Mormon. There are a lot of people who get a lot more out of reading the Book of Mormon then other people do. I think that it all goes back to the real intent and why they are doing it. Kind of their motivation for reading. As i have applied the this principal i have definitely see a big change in how my scripture study turns out and the things that i am able to apply in my life. I am also very grateful for the spirit that comes in abundance with the effective studies. When Real Intent stops the downward slide of pain and misery begins. The point real intent ceases is the point where regression encroaches on our lives. You must always strive for real intent in all things to diminish the effect of the advisory. 

Allegory of The Olive Tree

As i was studying Jacob 5 i was able to understand it a little better. It's a very big chapter and there is a lot that's in it. When I read verse 65 and it talked about how we can not cut down to many branches at once or the roots will be to powerful for the branches and the tree will not have balance and it will die. If you look at the branches as out works both good and bad. You want to try to cut down the bad branches but you have to do it little by little. (Alma 37:6, 1 Nephi 16.29) Then as you go and read in verse 73 it talks about how they had to keep a balance in the branches and the roots. I really like to think about this. Because it is so important that we have a balance in life in all things or life just gets harder. Life is already hard. We need to be doing things that make it easier not harder. Then to finish in Jacob 6:4 it talks about how the lord always remembers the roots and the branches. This is just a big comfort to me because it shows that no matter when, what, or where. God is still watching. He does it all because he loves you and me. 

Sincerely,

Elder Berry