Cali Vibes

Hey everyone, this next week will bring some upcoming changes.
Elder Card is going home to Canada and I'll spend the next week in a trio with Elder Yang and Elder Burgess, until Elder Burgess gets a new companion and the four of us will all live together. I'll also be the Zone Leader here, which I'm excited about since I'll have more of a chance to uplift the missionaries here through ministering.

I've gotten to know the members better and I'm making progress in the Chinese Book of Mormon. Sometimes my head hurts from studying so much but it's been good to try to make the most of my time. Honestly it's weird how much free time we have, I'm still not used to that, so I've been trying to find ways to stay busy and productive. 


Some of the interesting people I've met so far:

Zeid: a guy who calls us once or twice a day asking for an Elder who used to serve here. Zeid is in love with him and wants to find out where he is. Each time Zeid calls, he asks who he is speaking with and we use a different name. "Hi, this is Zeid, who is this?"
"This is Elder Driggle"
"This is Elder Jumpy"
"This is Elder Ketchup"
Zeid often refers himself to the missionaries, and uses any form he can to get in contact. The calls often consist of him asking for Elder Baxter (the guy he's in love with), and saying something about his dreams, bubbles, eating, searching for Elder Baxter, needing help with moving, or Jesus. Let the fact that we keep answering the phone tell you about life in quarantine.

Elder Card and Elder Glorius: 
My roommates (one of them is my companion). These guys are pretty funny. Elder Card is about to finish his mission and spends most of his time laying on his bed watching a timer tick down the minutes until he's home. (He started this habit when he had 3 weeks left). He is only sedated by playing Clue or when Elder Glorius comes to harass him, threatening to pass gas on his pillow or hide his passport so he can't go home. They also often argue about whether or not the things you wear on your feet are called slides or sandals- these conversations generally escalate to shouting matches and last for about 7-8 minutes. In reality they are good friends and enjoy walking to MacDonald's together, as well as loudly discussing food (frequented with moans of longing). Sometimes I am scared for what's going to happen to me if I stay here much longer. The rest of the time I'm laughing because it's honestly really entertaining.

Benjamin: a Chinese guy we teach who is a really good guy with some really interesting expectations. He is in his late 40's and his biggest desire in life is to be married. Good right? We all support you Benjamin. The issue lies in his requirements for marriage: he's looking for a (and I quote) "hot blonde white woman who is a member of the church, rich, and young enough to have kids" 
He is always available for lessons with us, except when he goes out to 'meet a friend'. We wish him the best of luck. Regardless of his whacked out expectations, he's got a strong testimony and it's been rewarding to share the gospel with him.


We had a very special experience this week as we taught a woman who had been carrying some burdens for a very long time. Before the lesson, I prayed a lot to be prepared and to have the Spirit guide us to help her. We felt to share the scripture Matthew 11:28-29:
"28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
After reading it with her, we asked if she knew what a yoke was. She described the object that attaches to an ox's shoulders to help them pull a load. Then we asked her how many oxen generally pull. She hesitantly said 'one?' At this point we explained how Jesus Christ wants to pull with us, together, support us and lift our burdens. She started crying with relief and expressed that she had never thought about it that way before, and felt an overwhelming comfort to know that she could rely on Christ in this way. I felt so grateful to be able to see the Spirit working to comfort her, and to uplift all of us. It is our purpose as missionaries to help others come to this sort of realization- that they aren't alone. They don't have to go through life and face it's challenges by themselves. I know that as we come to Jesus Christ, He will walk with us, no matter how fast or slow, and we will feel Him lifting our burdens.


All in all, I know the Lord has me here for a reason, and I'm still doing my best to go forward with faith and spread the gospel. 
加油！神的计划比我们的还大
Elder Halverson 





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