Elder Bolliger - Upland, CA Week 83:BBQ, Really Good Day with Service and Following impressions to Do Exactly What We Needed To Do, General Conference

Subject: Some awesome experiences and General conference

Date: April 2, 2012

Hello family from the Upland of California, where I am serving my mission right now.

Well on Monday after emailing we had a BBQ at a members house where he smoked 10lb of brisket and 3 racks of baby back ribs, ooohhh they are so good smoked, we have to smoke a turkey for thanksgiving now!

Tuesday was a really good day as well as we did service for like 5 hours at a part member families house cleaning up the front yard and making it look incredibly better, we then did some other stuff, went to dinner and then after dinner we had the best splits that I have ever had on my mission, we went out with a brother in the ward and I had the thought to visit 2 part member families, well the impression, not just a thought turned out to be exactly what we needed to do. We amazingly got in with both of those families and our member was the perfect man to bring as he could really, really relate to them, and we set up return appointments with the both of them! It’s awesome.

The Next day (Wednesday) we had splits again and we had another wonderful experience at a part members family’s house, it was really good and again.

For General Conference, I loved the Priesthood Session a ton!

Here are some of my notes from it.

Bednar, it was an excellent talk and he talked about how persistent he was with his father who was not a member and how he asked him about home teaching and the lack of it in the ward at church,

Edgely, Approach nonmembers/less actives and give them a responsibility to be a missionary to their friends and go in there assuming they are a member, unique approach.

Uchtdorf, spent time on the Why things are the way they are, Callings called of God. But there was a phrase in there I absolutely love, "Inspired Priorities", and why not use inspired priorities more often in everything that we do? to prioritize our lives, and or goals? And how the applications of the Doctrine change from time to time but the Doctrine does not.

Eyring, The Sealing Power of Elijah, And on how April 3, which is tomorrow, back 174 years ago Elijah appeared and put back the power that puts everything else in the gospel together, The Holy Spirit of Promise

Monson, The Call of Duty, The Priesthood is an Everlasting Principle, " When God calls and man obeys God, man will always be right" or something along those lines. Called as Bishop @ 22 yr old. and being persistent cause eventually it will work, "Do your duty, that is best, leave to the Lord, the rest" And how we need to magnify our callings.

I sure do love you all and I am trying to end on a great note.

Elder Bolliger

Elder Bolliger - Upland, CA Week 82: Staying 6 more weeks in Upland, Started Splits, Awesome Yard Service, Looking forward to General Conference

Subject: Hello from Upland CA

Date: March 26, 2012

Well hello family from Upland, California where I will be staying another 6 weeks and after this transfer have only 3 months left, tomorrow I hit my 4 months to go mark, and its just picking up speed way too fast! Recently this past week we started to get splits in this ward up and moving and we are already seeing some positive effects of it! We visited the house of a semi-active member and we noticed how the yard needed a lot of work and upkeep, so we went back a couple of days later and did some awesome lawn and front yard upkeep for the house and we are going tomorrow to finish the front yard and hopefully begin to teach her and her family that lives there the gospel. We are also actively inviting members to pray about people to invite to general conference as it is coming up this next weekend and I am so looking forward to it.

I hope that everyone back home has an amazing week and general conference this weekend!

Elder Bolliger

Elder Bolliger - Upland, CA Week 81: District Leader Trainings, Things I've Been Leanrning

Subject: First week being a dl in upland

Date: March 19, 2012

Hello family,

So for the past week from tomorrow, I have been district leader since my other companion Elder Jackson went home for school.

And I had to prepare a district meeting for them, so I decided to do some from the book, Spiritual Roots of Human Relations because it helped me to look at the Restoration and to look at how it really does boil down to the root relationship between God and man.

Example

Question to open it up: Is our enthusiasm for the Restoration and what it can do reflected in our conviction to others? This message is so important and it seems (And even I haven't done this all the time) like our conviction is just boring compared to bold and loving b/c of what it can do for them.

God <-----> Man

Look at the first vision in Joseph Smith History and how it helps out people in relationship

God is Real,

God and Jesus Christ are two separate glorified beings of flesh and bone.

God answers prayers, and is reachable.

God knows us individually and by name, he cares about all of us greatly and wants the best for all of us.

The Heavens are not closed.

This is just what it is in 2 scriptures in JS:H and help everyone out about how they can strengthen their relationship with our Father in Heaven. This is what we need to communicate with our investigators and this is why the first vision account is so powerful, the spirit conveys to the hearts of men the truth of these statements and bears witness of them.

We can then look through the perspective of the spiritual relation between God and man and then looking at all of the lessons can see the love that God has for us and can see how this works for our investigators, then I went on from there on the Gospel Salesman / Gospel Teacher and how we can all improve to aim for becoming gospel teachers, its not an easy thing in the beginning but its the thing that is more worth it in the end. While we were on this topic I was showing how becoming a gospel teacher is building your foundation upon Christ and then one of the sister missionaries shared Helaman 5:12, and then I shared about the experience driving up to Utah, the spirit was here in a very large measure and it was humbling yet edifying for me, also from there we talked about the wise man and the foolish man, its a primary answer to a question much older people ask. But that was last week and I thought it was good, I also brought guacamole and it was tastily delicious. But that was last week and I have already planned a lot for tomorrow and will continue to think about it this upcoming week, its humbling to receive the revelation and direction for District Meetings, also we role played door approaches with this new found focus, which we will do tomorrow and help everyone else to improve and help each other out.

Katie how would that be for a district meeting? I shared that last week.

Another thing that I learned was in D&C 50:22 about the Holy Ghost and how it says 'he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together', but that when the spirit is there during a lesson its there for them as well even if they don't recognize it but that they need to open up their heart to the spirit.

Well we had 2 days of leadership training, where we learned that Elder Ballard is coming to the mission and we will be hearing from him for about 2 hours in April, I can't wait for it.

Also I had some other experiences in this ward in helping them out to improve their organization and missionary work in general.

And last night I re-found why I need prayer so much, in applying some of the things that I learned about it. It was a good spiritual experience as I humbled myself in prayer.

But I hope yall have a good week ahead! And I love yall so much! (only 4 1/2 months to go!)

Elder Bolliger

Elder Bolliger - Upland, CA Week 80: Becoming a District Leader, Trainings, Excited for Week Ahead

Subject: Hello family

Date: March 12, 2012

Well family in a big change of events, my companion Elder Jackson is going home 2 weeks early for school and family and I am now one of the District Leaders in the Upland Zone. So that is a welcome and interesting change, in which I will take a front part in helping out my district to become better and improve.

But my trainings for tomorrow are still not done yet, its my first one and I have something in mind, we are supposed to be training on the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I was reading a talk somewhere that summed up pretty much said, are we as enthused about sharing the message of the restoration as its importance to other people, or are we just ho hum about it? And how to enthuse us about why the restoration is so important to them. But I will finish it tonight and tomorrow morning.

But I am excited for this next week and what it will bring. Next weeks email will be better.

Elder Bolliger

Elder Bolliger Upland 5th: Week 78 (no letter), Week 79: Trio, Duo, Trio ... DL, Serving each week, Amazing Alma 5

Here is my long detailed letter …

Here's a few thoughts…

What wards are you working with? (mom)

Upland 5th ward.

What are your companions names? (mom)

Well up until last Saturday it was me, Elder Jackson and Elder Wilcox. But then on Saturday Elder Wilcox went and was put into a double cover ward with the Fontana zone leaders covering both Fontana, San B, Rialto, Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga Tongan wards. Then two hours later on Saturday we got another companion for us putting us in a threesome and I got called to be district leader when Elder Jackson leaves because he is going home 2 weeks early for school.

Where are they from? (mom)

Elder Jackson is from a military family and has practically moved every 3 years or so. But he has lived in Virgina, but his family moved to ohio.
Well my companion, Elder Jackson is going home early for school and I just got called to be district leader when he leaves. So this transfer has been a crazy one.

Describe some of the service opportunities you've found in this new area? (mom)

Well we go over to a members house every Wednesday to clean up her yard. And another guy we go help build some stuff every now and then in the mornings.

How is your spirit this week? (mom)
Improving and realizing. Alma 5 is amazing.

Love,

Elder Bolliger

Elder Bolliger Hesperia to Upland Week 75, 76, 77: Sad to leave the High Desert, Golden Investigators, Time to "Pump", Upland 5th Ward, Bike Accident

Week 75...

Week 76 - Feb 13, 2012

Hello family well I am leaving the high desert probably for good now. And its been a good but long run up here and I am sad to leave and go back down the hill for the remaining 6 months of my mission. I will probably go to the Upland, Rancho Cucamonga area and look forward to helping out some other wards in their missionary work and efforts.

Its not easy leaving this area and the past four areas (8 transfers) as all I can say is I have been glad that I can help improve the ward and their missionary efforts. Its been a good run though and we got some pretty golden investigators this past week, and I am still continuing in my missionary pattern of sowing and getting the ground fertile then leaving suddenly afterword being unable to immediately see the effects of the work that I have done.

But the work must go on and it won't be frustrated.
I can't believe I have only 6 months left and I will try to make it as positive and effective as possible. Avoiding the other missionary trend.
What is common - Bump(6months), (Hump 12), (Slump 18), (Dump 24) - Dump where you are trunky and just want to go home.

What you should and I am trying to aim for ( Bump 6), (Hump 12), (Pump 18) and (Jump 24) Ending the mission on a very positive note, so far on my mission I have become much more independent and committed to the gospel then I was before, I have been able to learn how to follow the impressions of the spirit to a degree I heard stories about but never experienced until now.
I will be frank, I haven't woken up on time every day of my mission, I haven't been this leader to everyone else, but I have grown in my own capacity and look forward to a time where all of these little things I have learned can be applied to the real world and I can share the gospel with friends.
But I have grown and learned a lot on my mission, every day is a growing and learning opportunity that I hope to increase in the future and I can't believe the end is coming so soon.

But I will keep my head high and endure to the end of the mission.

Elder John Bolliger




Week 77 Feb 20, 2012

Hello family from Upland California 5th ward.

Well I was just transferred from the Hesperia Maple ward down here to Upland 5th, its quite a change from the High Desert of California. I was also put with a new companion, Elder Jackson who has been out for 22 1/2 months and I will be killing him off ( mission lingo ), but the transfer is going good and we are getting some work done even though its his last transfer. But last night I had dinner with the Hiatt family whose son went to the TX San Antonio Mission, and was an AP there, he knows Elder Murphy and he served in the vista ridge carriage hills district that included the McNeil ward and went on exchanges there, funnily enough we reminisced about Rudys, Papasitos and Round Rock Doughnuts, good times with those.

I am just beginning to learn the members here and we are moving ahead with some of the investigators that have baptismal dates and I am excited because in this zone, baptisms are hard to come by and I am excited to move forward with it.

Also I got into a bike wreck but thankfully I have only a scratched knee and elbow from it, all other parts are just fine and I am completely fine now.

But hopefully this next week I have much better news from this ward as now I am getting to know the ward and the people here in the upland 5th ward, a couple that used to live in the ward, Jordan and Lindsey S, her mom lives in this ward, its a small, small world.

Elder Bolliger