Week #26

Buenas Tardes!

Very Solid week here in Porterville! Last preparation day I hit a median and messed up wheel a bit so we were on bikas the whole week! (I found a secret too, if you eat chile then you bike faster!) We biked around 30+ miles a day all of Porterville and actually a lot of progress in the work!!! 

On Friday we found a new investigator named Tania who recently moved here from Mexico and let us right in and took notes the whole lesson! She absolutely loved it and said she wanted to be baptized! We go back tomorrow and can't wait!

We also had a super solid turn out in church this week and our gospel principles class jumped from 5 or 6 to around 20! We had quite a few returning less actives, investigators, and friends of members! Lot's of great things coming soon in Porterville!

Elder Fernandez is getting emergency transferred to Visalia (my old area) because Elder Allen my old companion is going back to Puerto Rico!!! So we'll be back to a duo (Adios to los tres amigos!).

Today we went up to a members ranch way up and Springville and hiked by the river in the mountains and ate some burgers! We then biked all the way bike 36 mile and got back in about 1hr 20mins! We flew! But my legs were dead by the end! 

I also finished the Book of Mormon this week for the first time in a long time! I absolutely love the end of the Book of Mormon!

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhortyou that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in thename of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shallask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith inChrist, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by thepower of the Holy Ghost.

This verse is powerful! And when Moroni says "These things" he means the whole book! Front to back! It is impossible to know if the church is true or have a complete understanding about Jesus Christ without reading all the Book of Mormon! I have seen my testimony grow so much and my relationship with god grow a ton!!! Right after I finished I started it again and I hope to continue this cycle for the rest of my life!

Very solid week here and loads more to come soon! 

Con Amor,

Week #25

Buenas Tardes Amigos!

It was quite the crazy week here in Porterville! Elder Hoffmann arrived on Tuesday and we got surprised with 2 new Elders in the English ward who have no apartment so they tossed them in with us in our small one bano apartment! But esta bien!

The work has been going very good here! Our investigators are progressing very well and Juliet is still looking forward for her baptism! On Wednesday we brought two less actives to the family history center and it turned out that the specialist was out so We basically had to help them start every thing on our own (Very little) family history knowledge. It ended up being a solid night and somehow we found a ton of their ancestors and they loved it! Mexican lines are super crazy too because of the limited records and use of many different names and their bad english translations! But they area really excited to get to the temple!

We saw a miracle on Wednesday on exchanges with the zone leaders, since we had two companionships of 3 we did a three way split and I went on bikes with Elder Yancy! I wasn't so sure where we were going to go or what we were going do so we just started to bike and like 3 min later this guy calls to us to pull over! So he pulled his car in and we started to talk, it turns out he was a member who spoke mostly Spanish who recently moved in here and hadn't been to church for a while! We had a great talk and gave him the churches directions and on Sunday he came and gave his testimony which was very touching to hear! We also gave him a blessing for his back which was about to have it's 7th operation! 

Friday was El Dia De Los Reyes so we went to a members our and ate some Rosca (A massive traditional bread thing. and what they do is hide 6 little doll things inside and whoever finds one has to cook for everyone else one day in February! Elder Hoffmann and I ended up with one and Elder Fernandez with two! 

Overall a great week and we see a lot of potential for this transfer! I'm in the Book of Ether now and my favorite scripture this week came from Ether 12:27 27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humblethemselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weakthings become strong unto them.

We all have weaknesses that we want to improve this new year of 2018, but one thing we should all try to improve are our spiritual weaknesses! We all have chinks in our armor of god and this is a perfect time to set spiritual goals like Read the Book of Mormon, Have a constant Family Home Evening Schedule, learn about the life of a Prophet, or Start of Family History work. Whatever it may be through Jesus Christ we can make these weaknesses become strong!

Have a solid week!

Con Amor

Elder Houssian

Week #24

Great week here in Porterville!

It was the last week of the transfer and it was solid! We were quite busy this week and had a lot of really good lessons! We also found a few solid new investigators to teach! We basically been teaching all of our current Investigators Ivelice and Hugo family and they all love our lessons! We also got to teach Juliet again and shes really determined to be Baptized on the 27th!

We receive new that Elder Fernandez and I will be receiving a new companion Elder Hoffman! He was with me in the CCM and is a solid missionary! Many high hopes for this upcoming transfer! It's crazy to think its 2018 already!

This week I've been studying in the Book of Ether a lot! My favorite Scripture is 6:4 and it came to pass that when they had done all these things they got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God.

This was an amazing act of Faith to just get in the boats and say, all right lord, take us to the promise land! Faith is one of the powerful things we can have! Especially faith in the lord Jesus Christ!

Have a Great week and a solid 2018!!!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian

New Years Dinner!!! Fresh Chivo!

Week #23

Feliz Navidad!!!

Very great week here in Porterville! We had a very productive week and had many great lessons this week! With our investigators Ivelice and Hugo we set a new baptismal date and they are progressing very well! We also finally got to teach Juliet and set a new baptismal date and she said shes determined to fulfill it!

We had a church tour with Ivelice and Hugo and they brought a lot of their family too! It was really good and they felt the spirit super strong! They love the church and are really excited to come!

We had a great Christmas Eve! Had a really solid sacrament meeting, then went and ate tamales with some members! We then Caroled for some of our investigators and members, then spent the night with some members and other missionaries and sang carols and ate some solid Gringo food!

For Christmas we had an awesome breakfast at a members house! We then went and made tamales, it took a bit and was a bit more difficult then it looked but the end result tasted very good! We then went to lunch at the Branch Presidents house and got to face-time our families! Super awesome to see all my family again! We then had a great Christmas dinner! 

My favorite scripture this week comes from Mormon one of the saddest books in all the Book of Mormon. This book tells the destruction of one a great people in history! The Lord gave them so many chances to repent and change and come unto him but their hearts were too hard and their pride to high. 17 O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!

Remember it is never to late to repent, the loving Jesus Christ is always there waiting to receive you!

Have a great week!

(Also Thank You for the Christmas Gifts and Wishes!!!)

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian

Week #22

Buenas Tardes!!!

Great week again here in Porterville! Much progress was made this week! We have some really solid families we are teaching! We sadly didn't get to teach Juliet this week cause she was sick but she should still be good for the 30th! We also had some great lessons with our investigator named Angela and invited her to be baptized! But then she started thinking and said "now I'm thinking about it I think I already was baptized", so we looked her records up and sure enough she was! So we are now helping her get back to church and eventually to the temple!

This week we also had the Branch Christmas party where we had a ton a super solid food! some of the best Tomales and Posoli ever! 

One of the less active members we've been working with is like a semi-pro singer and guitar and accordion player so we showed us how to play a bit after a lesson! He said I was pretty solid so I guess my old piano skills came back a bit!

We also had zone conference this week and it was really good! President gave a really good talk/training and we had a solid testimony meet where the spirit was so strong!

That's about all new this week! My favorite scripture this week came from 4th Nefi 1:23 23 And now I, Mormon, would that ye should know that the people had multiplied, insomuch that they were spread upon all the face of the land, and that they had become exceedingly rich, because of their prosperity in Christ.

This is one of my favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon!!! For 200 YEARS after Christ came they had basically perfect peace and unity, pretty much heaven on Earth where the church of Christ spread throughout all the land in prosperity! All because of their unwavering faith in Christ!

Have a good week Amigos! Y FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian

Week #21

Hola!

Another solid week here in Porterville! We finally had a pretty normal week which was good cause we got to teach and find a lot!!! Our Investigators have been making really good progress!

We got to have two solid lessons this week with our investigator Juliet who is super solid and takes in the gospel so good! She also came to church for the first time even though she has a messed up back and loved it! We also found a new family to teach and had a great lesson with them! 

On Thursday on of the less active members took us to Taco Bell for dinner but was really stressed out and hasn't been coming to church cause he's had tons of work. So we told him we'd come help him and we did (He works in construction)! So we went and built a big wall in a house he's working on! He was super grateful and let us come teach his family on Saturday!

My favorite scripture from this week was in 3rd Nefi 23:1 1 And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these thingsdiligently...

Searching the scriptures everyday DILIGENTLY is one of the best things we can do! The Lord evens says it's a commandment! By searching the scriptures we can find answers, peace, and build our relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ!

That's about it! Have a great week!

Con amor,

Elder Houssian

Week #20

Buenos dias!!!

Great week out here in Porterville! 

We got to go to the temple 2 times this week! Once with the zone and once with the branch with some recent converts! I love the Temple!!! 

We had a great week for teaching and finding! The beginning of the week was a bit slow but we kept going strong and ended up having a bunch of really solid lessons! One hermana in our branch was having a hard time so she called us to come give her a blessing so we did! Then at church on Sunday she looked like a completely different person, she shared her testimony and said right after we left her depression and stress went away and she got a new job offer! The Lord takes care of those who turn to him!

Last night during dinner someone kept calling us from a random number and so we finally answered it and an hermano in our branch said for us to come over cause he had a new investigator for us! So right after dinner we left and we get to their house and this older lady opens the door and is in a ton of pain so we gave her a blessing! She said it was the first time she felt god in her life in a long time and never so strong! We then taught her and she accepted a baptismal date for the 30th!

We also ate a ton of food and had a Christmas party this week! One of my new favorite foods our investigator makes is carne asada con nopales (cactus)! That's about all the new!

My favorite Scripture from this week comes from 3rd Nefi when the savior was teaching the people in the Americas!  14: 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. 

It is not enough to just talk the talk and say we believe but we must be doers! Faith is a principal of action and if we are not building up our testimonies, then they are getting broken down! 

Have a solid week!

Con Amor,

Elder Houssian