Elder Bolliger: Upland, CA Week 86: Referrals and Trainings

Hello family from the crazy weather of Southern Califorina, on Saturday and Yesterday it was in the 90s and hot and sunny, it doesn't help that our AC was broken as well. Oh well, so this morning I wake up to rain around 4am which was very strange but made a little sense. And today is nice and damp and rainy.

This past week there were 2 notable events.
The first was a referral that referred herself to us through Mormon.org and we were going to her house when another member pulled us over and was talking to us. Then the lady who referred herself went to drive away from her house and then drove over to us and started to talk to us. She has lots of friends and family who are members of the church and she has had a large 'spiritual hole' in her life and is looking to see if the church can help fill that gap for her. We taught her a little but we were unprepared for the depth and amount of questions that she was asking us, she really is a prepared person who has some small word of wisdom issues but she is willing and trying to get over them. Its going to be exciting talking to her this next week about the gospel and how much good it can do for her. And also her mother in law got baptized a few months ago so her and her husband are both wanting to learn more about the church. All this next week.
The other big event from this past week was Elder Ballard of the 12, Elder Shayne M Bowen of the Seventy, Elder Whitting of the Seventy and Elder Heim who is an Area Authority.
Here are some notes from the Trainings,
Elder Heim - He Taught us that we have the authority to lovingly correct our investigators in the correct way to pray to our heavenly father and how important this was so that they can feel the spirit and have a personal relationship with god. "Part the veil for those whom you teach"
Elder Whiting,
you have been given the authority but have you done what is necessary to have the power of your calling? Earn the power, it starts with appearance.
Elder Shayne M Bowen
"Many are called but few are obedient".
Covenant People, God deals with Covenant people through covenants, We (missionaries) are the noble and great ones. And you dont recieve more priesthood than you have now, as Jesus Christ organized the world with the same Priesthood, of  Melchezidek.
Don't put on the uniform of the world after your mission.
Elder Ballard
Sacrifice a little for the work. He joked a lot in his talk, one funny thing he said to us was "When I was a missionary you were in the spirit world, and maybe your mission president too and others here". We have every tool necessary to be a great missionary. The World is covered in sin and darkness, lucifier is unleashing everything that hes got to keep people in spiriitual darkness. People don't know who they are, you have got to be really good teachers, A teacher of light and Truth. Trust Him and Know him, and you can go anywhere and be bold and confident in god. And that weak and simple people should confound the wise and learned of the world. Turn over the remainder of your mission to the lord. And then he said how we are the future of the church and this mission is training us to take it over when we are gone. And To have joy have faith in the lord every day.

Fast Foward to Stake Conference Yesterday,
so during Stake Conference Elder Shayne M Bowen of the Seventy had all of us missionaries stand up, he then said "Here is the problem, (pointing out the fact that there are only 12 missionaries in the whole stake), He than said Missionaries can sit down except the one on the end" Which was me... So he first asked my name, and he said it in the right way. He then asked me how long my call is for, I really didn't hear the question and replied 21 months but he asked again, and i replied 24 months, so 2 years, he then proceeded to ask me what my #1 Priority was when I got home. I had a complete brain freeze right then, and was not being as quick as I should have but eventually one of the other missioaries said "The temple" and I repeated that and he wanted a better answer but I now knew where this was going and replied "To Be sealed in the temple to my eternal companion for time and eternity" And that is the answer that he was looking for and had me sit down. He then talked on how these are only the 'part time missionaries' and the full time ones are the members in the ward And went into a good long talk about how important the temple is to members and to less active or inactive members, who he said there was no such thing as if any member really understood the doctrine he would not be less active or inactive.

Well I only have 2 weeks left in this transfer and only 2 more transfers left until i come back home.
Elder Bolliger