Just Chillin' in Cedar Rapids (March 20, 2017)

Hey y'all! Happy Monday! It's been good to hear from ya! Good Job Cole on your Arrow of Light thingy! That just sounds like a party. I never got the chance to do that. And I hope you're feeling better, Elise. Break Legs this weekend Dwayners! 

Well, we've been busy this last week. We were able to get to know Petaluma much mo betta. We've met the majority if our investigators we have right now too. Ok so here's a cool story. So my first couple transfers in Santa Rosa, we found, taught, (and later was baptized) Jesus Chavez. We found him through a referral we got from the Petaluma Elders back then. They had told us it was just a coworker of someone they were teaching. Ok so here's where the cool part comes in, ok well two cool parts. So we were looking for this investigator at number 32 but he wasn't there so we just decided to knock the surrounding doors. It turns out the elders before us had made a mistake with the apartment number and it was the apartment below. When we knocked on their door, they opened it and were super happy to see us (us not knowing they were our investigators). We quickly made the connection they were the people we were looking for. We got to talking and I had mentioned that I served in Santa Rosa. He said he had a friend that just got baptized and joined the church about a year ago. I asked him who it was and he was like, "Jesus Chavez." My mouth dropped. I couldn't believe it. The investigator we had just found by knocking surrounding doors was the reason Jesus had gotten baptized. I was just mind blown. That was a tender mercy for me! He is actually really close to being baptized also, so hopefully we can help him. 

There are also like 3 other people that, for some reason or another can't get baptized at this time; Whether it's legal issues, or acceptance from a spouse, you name it. We're  are really hoping to help them make that final push! Exciting stuff. 

To answer your questions mom, we are in the Rohernt Park Spanish branch with probably about 30 active members. They really support and help us out, especially with dinners. Petaluma is a lot like Athens, I feel. Just got that city vibe. Our zone goes from the bottom of Santa Rosa to the Golden Gate Bridge. It's kind of a big Zone. We have 22 missionaries. My compa, Elder Angulo, has been out for 18 months. His family lives in Bogota, Columbia and have been members their whole lives. I'm the driver mom :) and for right now we have a Jeep, while our other car is getting some work done. Hope that suffices. 

So Elder Angulo and I are visiting all the Ward councils in the stake to introduce ourselves, set a good relationship with the members, and introduce our vision for the Zone. So we woke up early Sunday went down to San Raf and then Novato and then San Raf again for another. Good ole fun!

Tomorrow we have zone Meeting. I'm teaching on prayer, focusing on how we can improve our prayers. I'd appreciate anything thoughts or insights or quotes you have :) 

Then Wednesday we have interviews!

I think that's all I got this week for ya! Love y'all lots! Take care.

Con Amor, 

Elder Joyner

Good Things Happening! (March 14, 2017)

Hey hey!

Happy Tuesday Pday! It's been a very busy last week with whitewashing in our new area. Let me tell you what, PETALUMA IS AWESOME. We both love it so much already. And Elder Angulo rocks! (And he's real Colombian, Dayne :) Lets see where to start. 

So last Tuesday we got our stuff and made out way to our new area We did some shopping and got all settled, just to hear that some missionaries in our zone had their phone accidentally taken by some other missionaries to another zone soooo we had to make a little trip to go pick that up in Napa. But we got all that taken care of and set. The rest of the night we tried to get some other planning type things done, because we didn't have an area book synced yet to see anyone. Wednesday, we were able to really get started and visit some people. This area is popping. The missionaries before us worked really hard. There are a couple baptisms set up for this transfer. We haven't been able to meet with any of the investigators yet because they keep canceling on us. They sound pretty solid though! Saturday and Sunday we had stake Conference. Elder Schweitzer, of the 70 presided Then the next day, we had an MLC and then Zone Conference with Him. It was awesome! I learned so much. I really realized the most that there are lots of things I still need to work on. I just gotta start one step at a time ;) 

One thing the spirit really impressed upon my mind is that of the Love our Savior has for us. He knows us so personally. Whether we know it or not, He knows us, our situations, our lives, our desires, and honestly what's best for us. We HAVE to trust in that. That's where true strength lies. In Him and Him alone! I love how I've come to know that on my mission. That's knowledge I wouldn't trade for anything. 

Well I love this area, my companion, and this Zone! Let me tell you what, this zone ROCKS!!! I'm excited to be here! 

Love you all! Talk real soon. 

Con Amor, 

Elder Joyner

"This Could Be the Start of Something New..." (March 6, 2017)

Happy p-day y'all! My oh my its been quite the week. So for starters, transfers are tomorrow and I actually found out that I am getting transferred. It was kind of a surprise to both Elder Perez and I, to have our area whitewashed. I am getting transferred to Petaluma, which is in the San Rafael zone. I will be with Elder Angulo (who happens to be from Colombia, like Elder Perez) in Petaluma as the Zone Leaders there. I wasn't expecting it but it should be a good change up. I've heard awesome things about that area and Elder Angulo! Should be awesome! So today we are in Santa Rosa. I'll drop off Elder Perez to go to departing dinner/devotional and I'll be with the tech elders, Elder Crowley and Elder Allsup the rest of the night until transfers tomorrow. Busy, Busy, Busy. 

Let's see what else happened this week. Thursday, we had our temple trip! UGHHH it was so good. I love the Oakland temple. It's just the best. I can't wait till I can go to the temple anytime I want. That'll be just the best. I feel like I just learned so much. I'll attach some pictures from that. 

OH OH Tuesday morning, Elder Perez was upstairs working out and he suddenly comes down and says he can't breath and is light headed and such and so I call Sister Stewart and Sister Wright and we get him back to normal. The rest of the day he was super dizzy and having some breathing attacks so Wednesday we had to make a trip down to the doctor is Santa Rosa. He's good now, but there was some complications he was having and they're still not sure what it was. They're just worried about the plane tomorrow for him. Hopefully everything turns out well though! 

I was kinda bummed to find out Friday that I didn't get into BYU, but soon after realized that there's something else that's awaiting me. President Wright actually called that night asking what had happened with it and we talked it over. He said that the sun will still rise in the morning and I'll still get a good education. That was pretty cool! Now I just gotta figure out what the next step is. Ahh

It was hard to say goodbye to some of the people here in Ukiah. Harder than I thought it would be, to be honest. There are some really awesome elect people here. I'm gonna miss them. 

Just a heads up, next week we have a member of the 70 coming to do a mission tour and next Monday we will have an MLC and Zone Conference with him, which means that our preparation day will be on Tuesday next week. Just fyi. 

Well, until then. On to big adventures! 

Con amor,

Elder Alexander Scott Joyner

"One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure."- William Feather

TEMPLE TEMPLE TEMPLE (February 27, 2017)

To my dearest loved ones:

It's been quite the week! Busy as ever! And this is the last week of the transfer. That was quick! And this week is already march! Ugh what. Time needs to slow down a little bit. At Zone Conference a while back, President called me an "old timer." Man, I still feel like a greenie but I guess I have been doing this for a quick minute. Good fun! Glad to hear about all your adventures. Especially Dayne! I'm super jealous of your Disney cruise. That looked like fun! Let your friend know I got next dibs, ya? K thx. Have fun at Phantom mom, pops, and Cole! I've always wanted to see that one live! 

Lets see what happened this week! On Tuesday, we had Zone Meeting! It went super well. I feel this is the best/most productive one we've had thus far. It really makes a difference when people have the mentality of "I don't want to be there," or "I've already heard this." It was awesome to see the Zone prepared and ready to learn. I'm grateful for them. They are all doing really well. Our zone is killing it! We have some like 16 baptismal dates as a Zone. That's awesome! I'm excited for what's to come. The rest of the week was good. We didn't have too much happen. We weren't able to meet with Victoria but we did see Jose. We read 3 Nephi 11 with him and he loved it! That was cool. Lets see what else. OH, yesterday we had ward Conference and a bunch of less active members that don't usually come, came! That was cool! We had a full gospel doctrine class. Ahh good fun! 

We have our temple trip this Thursday, which I'm PUMPED for! I haven't been since August! Today is a 1/2 pday because of that. This is Elder Perez's last week which means we're gonna work harder than ever and go out with a bang! Next Monday, I get to go to Santa Rosa to drop him off and then pick up my new compa the next day! 

Until then, pasa una buena semana llena de mucho éxito y felicidad! Les quiero muchísimo!

Con Amor, 

Elder Alexander Scott Joyner

week1week2week3week4*WEEK5*week6 (February 20, 2017)

Happy Super Rainy Monday! Monsoons are pouring over here haha but it all good and fun. There's no bad weather, only bad attitudes :) This week was pretty great! We were able to get a lot accomplished and done and such. Tuesday, we went on exchanges with the elders in Lakeport. I went to Lakeport with Elder Gibbons who has only been out three weeks. He's awesome and gonna be a great missionary! Wednesday was spent visiting some new investigators we found last week and then finishing some preparation for Zone Conference. We were actually able to set a baptismal date with someone Wednesday night. His name is Jose and is the dad of like 8 kids. We set the date for March 24th but that may have to be changed because of some other stuff we found out over the weekend. (Haha you can email me if you really wanna know what it is.) He's a good guy! THURSDAY was Zone Conference! I learned so much. They talked about repentance, blessings of a mission, living the higher law, stepping up our game with regards to missionary life in general. It was awesome! I feel there is lots I need to work on and this helped! Good fun! I always love those special types of settings where the spirit is so present. Friday was our planning day. Saturday, we had stake Conference. Let me tell you what, it was a killer session. Ok first, I got a call Thursday afternoon from President Carson (second counselor in stake presidency). He told me that the 14 out of the 20 people in the choir that was supposed to sing on Saturday night got the flu. He needed a quick back up so he asked me to sing. So I sang Abide with me a 'Tis Even Tide. That was fun. Then all the speakers in that session were killer. President and Sister Wright spoke as well as Elder Mark Davis of the 70. He got up there, looked at us, closed his notes and gave a powerful talk. You could tell he was inspired and called What an amazing experience! He also spoke in yesterday's session, which was killer! Life is good. Only two weeks left in this transfer. Tomorrow we have Zone Meeting to review the stuff we learned in MLC a week ago. That should be good! Them we have Ward Conference this upcoming Sunday. Next week we have a temple trip on Thursday so I'm not sure if p-day will be Monday or Thursday, but I'll update ya when I know. I love and appreciate all your notes and love and support. Time keeps on flyin by. Time to Seize the Day! Mucho Love! 

Con Amor, 

Elder Alexander S. Joyner

Transfer 13/Week4/Day1 (February 13, 2017)

Hola Familia! Happy Monday and Early Valentine's Day too! I hope it's just lovely haha. I hope you can feel some love comin from over in NoCal. We had a pretty good week this last week! It was good because I wasn't sick and we were able to get some good work done! That always feels so good! We were able to find some new investigators to teach which is such a blessing! One of which is this single mom named Victoria. She's awesome. Her story is basically like that of Joseph smith but here in Ukiah. She says she's been confused about which church is the right one and has joined many but just can't find what she's looking for. We shared a little with her and let her know that her search was over and that the emptiness she feels will be found in the gospel! We only have had one lesson with her but we are stopping by again next Saturday. She also has 4 kids (2 of which are over 8) that she wants to grow up in good standards and such. Exciting stuff! We found a couple others but we think she's the most solid we've found in a while. The Lord is truly looking out for us. 

Thursday, we had interviews with President which are always a blast. I just love him and Sister Wright. They are some of the most amazing people I've met. He helped me out with some stuff and gave me some great counsel. We really have a special relationship haha. Friday, got some planning done and then went to a birthday party, dinner, and then went to visit another investigator we have which happened to turn out to be another birthday party for his niece. We walked in and taught like 10-15 people haha. It was awesome to see so many people interested in the gospel! And we were just in the right place at the right time. Saturday, we had MLC in Santa Rosa and it was just so good! I don't know why but this time all the sections and lessons were just on point. I learned so much and am excited to teach them to the zone next week! That was a blessing. 

Sunday was a busy day. We went early to try to invite someone to church and then made it to 10 minutes of ward council with just enough time after to practice a song that I sang in sacrament Meeting. The English Elders were speaking in both English and Spanish Ward so we had to do mini exchanges while we figured that out and then I had to translate for one of those talks. After church, we had a linger longer and then went with a member to see some potential investigators, had some quick dinner, stake choir Practice, went and had that lesson with Victoria, gave a blessing to a member, with just enough time to make it back in time for our weekly call and numbers. We're a little busy to say the least haha. 

This week we exchanges tomorrow, Zone Conference on Thursday, and Stake Conference on Saturday/Sunday. Should be a good one! 

Overall theme for this week, God is good. Plain and simple. I love my mission and the opportunity to serve others. Gandhi once said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." I find truth in that everyday. It's amazing. 

I love y'all. Have a super week.

Con Amor, 

Elder Alexander Scott Joyner

"I got bronchitis..." jk not really bronchitis (February 6, 2017)

Hey-O! Happy Monday! And happy Waitangi Day for all you Australians :) haha ALSO Happy Early BIRTHDAY Mom! I hope you have the most fantastic day and all your hopes dreams and wishes come true! Wish I could be there to celebrate with you! Know I'll be thinking about ya! Wheeew it's beeen quite the week though. 

I've basically been sick all week. I came down with a bad virus that I'm just barely getting over today. It's been tough, both physically and mentally. I've had a bad cough and sinus stuff and it's just been a mess. And then I kept feeling bad because we'd have to stay in so I could rest and then we couldn't go find or see people and ya. Luckily, after lots of orange juice, I'm getting back on my feet and we're gonna have a super awesome week. There were a couple nights where I got cabin fever so we decided to go see a couple of people. We were able to see one of our investigators that we haven't seen in about 2 months named Rodrigo. He had a baptismal date for about 2 weeks ago, but we haven't been able to meet with him. He's really good friends with our ward mission leader and some other members about his age. He goes to institute and the YSA and everyone thinks he's a member but he's not. He's still interested in baptism but we're working on repentance with him right now. We had a good lesson this week about how repentance relates back to the Atonement and how he can personally gain a testimony of Christ for himself. We really see lots of potential in him and hope he makes that final commitment and sets a baptismal date this next week! Yes!

Other than that, we were able to see a couple less active members that haven't been in a while and because of that one came to church on Sunday and bore his testimony! It was sweet! He said he's been meaning to come more consistently and because we saw him that one night, he felt impressed to come! Cool stuff. 

This week we have exchanges tomorrow, interviews with president on Thursday, and then MLC in Rosa on Saturday! Should be a good busy week! Hope y'all are doing well. I love hearing from you and thank you for the support and such. It means the world. I love y'all! Have a super week!

Con Amor,  

Elder Joyner