On to 2017.... (December 26, 2016)

Hey hey! 

It was so good to talk to y'all yesterday! That's crazy I've done three of those and only have one left. Weird! Christmas was so good and I could definitely feel a special spirit that of Christ that you can't feel any other time. I hope all had an opportunity to serve those around you in an effort to #LIGHTTHEWORLD. Also, congrats Cody on the engagement! Happy for y'all!

We had a pretty good week! 

Tuesday, Elder Achal and I went on exchanges! We. Had. The. Best. Day. It was probably one of the most successful days I've had on my mission thus far. Everyone we came in contact with, we either had a lesson with, set a return appointment, or set a baptismal date with haha. That was a sweet experience! We were waking away from a door about to go upstairs to knock some more doors, when a man comes to the rail and says, "Hey, are you the Mormon missionaries?" We replied and he said, "Well come on in." We got to talking and he told us that he had once investigated the church an de was actually going to get baptized but that it didn't happen. We asked him if he would prepare himself for the 21st of January and he said YES. It was amazing. We went over the baptismal questions right then and he got the majority of them correct! I've never seen that before. Que increible es! We will continue working with him and praying for him and such. 

We also had our Christmas devotional. That was fun! Elder Allsup and I sang a song. That was super fun! We had breakfast and actually got to watch How a Grinch Stole Christmas! WHOOP WHOOP! Good times. 

That's all I got for this week so far. Keep on being the best. Keep praying. Keep loving. Keep believing. Till 2017!

Con Amor, 

Elder Joyner

UkiahChristmasYayayayaya (December 19, 2016)

HEY Familia! Wow it's super good to hear from you! Glad Elise got home safe and sound. It's weird having everyone home except me haha. But I'll talk to ya soon enough :) it's been a quick week. Lemme give you the run down. 

So Tuesday we got back to Ukiah and got unpacked and got groceries and then got into to planning for ZL stuff. We had dinner and went on splits with the Spanish group leader that night, Bro. Henrie. Wednesday was a good full day of work and then we headed down to stay the night in Santa Rosa for MLC the next day. It was funny because I stayed with the tech elders in my old apartment haha. MLC WAS SUPER BIEN! It was nice being able to just sit back and take it all in and not worry about the logistics and tech part (although I do miss it.) Thursday night we were gonna go back to Ukiah but there was a flood warning and so we had to stay one more night in rosa. It was so good :) Saturday was Zone meeting with the stuff we learned at MLC. I was able to teach on the spirit and how we can have it more as missionaries. Super bien! Ok back up back up one more thing. Tuesday night I got a call from the Hermanas in Santa Rosa saying their investigator, Josue who was getting baptized on Saturday, wanted me to baptize him! WHAT. That's never happened to me before. I had met him at church and went to priesthood with him and such. I was so honored! So after zone Meeting on Saturday, we headed down to Santa Rosa again for the baptism. It was awesome! That was definitely a tender mercy this week. 

A couple miracles from this week. We set 3 baptismal dates this week! That's such a miracle for me. I've never set that many (I don't think?) The first one was on our first day together. We had been finding up in Willits earlier that day and hadn't had too much luck so we decided to go down to see an investigator (German) in Ukiah that hadn't been seen for a while. German wasn't home so we just decided to knock the surrounding doors of his little apartment complex. We knocked probably about 10 and set one or two return appointments until we came upon the second to last door. We knocked and he opened it pretty quickly. This is Jesus Mendoza. He is around our age. He opened it pretty quickly and let us in. We could tell he's been through a lot recently and wanted to change his life around. After sharing the initiative and a brief restoration, we invited him to be baptized and he said YES. We testified to him and set a date for the 21sf of January! It was so cool. Ok ok next miracle. Get this, one of the return appointments we set before meeting Jesus turned out to be our other two baptismal dates! We set a return appointment for Sunday. Their names are Maria and Carlos. They had just barely had a new born bebe. We went and showed the initiative video and then after the husband was like, "so in your church, what does one have to do to get baptized? My wife has never been baptized and I don't really go to church so like what do we have to do?" Elder Perez and I just kinda sat there in amazement until one of us was able to answer haha. We also set a date with them for the 21st of January! It was incredible.  Same date. One apartment apart from each other. If that's not the lords hand working in our lives, I don't know what is! The Lord has been merciful upon us this week and I am forever grateful for it. 

It's been such a good week up here. I'm adjusting but loving it. Thank you for all your support and love. Talk real soon :)

Con Amor

Elder Joyner

Transfers Transfers! (December 12, 2016)

This will be kinda of a shorter letter this week because tomorrow is transfers and we don't have to much time to write. S/O to Elise who is heading home tomorrow. Love you Sis. Safe travels! Transfers are happening. I'm leaving Santa Rosa and heading to Ukiah as a Zone Leader with Elder Perez. I've heard really good things about him and this area and I'm excited. I'm pretty sure there's just a Spanish group up there so we might meet with one of the English wards. It's a good change up but a little bittersweet right before Christmas. This'll be good for me though. I'm gonna hit it full force!

We had a pretty good week. We were able to set a baptismal date with one lady named Naomi. That was a cool experience that I may have to save until next week. We were able to see Dante again this week and go over the plan of salvation with him and his sister, Abigail. This area is really popping and I'm excited for elder Sidwell and his new compa!

This week we have an MLC on Thursday, so I'll already be able to come back to rosa haha and next week we have the Christmas parties and we'll be able to come back to rosa again too haha so I won't miss it too much. That's prolly it for this week. I'll write more next! Love y'all. Have a great week!

Con Amor

Alex with cousin David (Freebairn)

Elder Joyner

Escamilla family

Les Voy a Decir Algo... [I'll Tell Them Something...] (December 5, 2016)

Happy December! That's crazy that it's already the end of the year. Time really does fly! And it'll probably get faster and faster. Just the fact that Elise makes the long trip back to the south is kinda crazy. Good job. I'm proud of you, but even more important your father in Heaven is so grateful and proud of the service you've rendered for him these past 18 months. Matthew 25:21 ❤️

It's been a crazy week! We had MLC on Friday so a good bit of the week was prepping for that. Since the tech elders are in different companionships, Elder Crowley and I would go together and get stuff done we needed to and our companions would go into one of our areas and do some work there. We basically had to plan out 2 different schedules with our tech stuff and area stuff. It's been crazy, to say the least! There was also funeral at the badger building (where the mission office is) so we had to switch over to the Peterson lane building for this one. It was kind of like a last minute switch up too. We taught about Fellowshipping and how we can do that by means of technology. It was super bien! 

Lisette did not get baptized this weekend :/ We went and met with her with the other elders on Thursday and had a good lesson with her. She says she believes the church is true and everything she's been taught but that she just needs a little more time! We felt strongly she shouldn't push this date back and even got down on our knees with her and she offered a prayer asking if this is what she should do. She got an answer that it is but that just not right now. I have faith that she will eventually take that step and that everything is in God's time. 

Alejandra, who had the baptismal date for this weekend, is probably not getting baptized this particular weekend. She responds to our messages and texts but doesn't ever want meet with us. It's difficult and we think she's attending a different church. But on the bright side, we set a baptismal date with her little 15 yr old brother Dante. That was a real miracle! We're excited for him!

That's all I got for this week. Thank you for your love and support! This is the last week of the transfer so we'll find out Saturday what happens! Have a super week!

Con Amor, 

Elder Joyner

December, ugh what how? (November 28, 2016)

Happiest of Mondays to all! Hope everyone had a super good Thanksgiving, even if it was on a non-traditional Friday haha. The sunroom porch looks good though, so good job fam. We had a good day of thanks! We woke up and went help set up for the Crèche (nativity) festival that's this weekend. We did the same last year and set up like some 30-40 Christmas trees! Good fun! Then we went to a turkey bowl in the AP's ward, which was fun! In the afternoon, all six of the Spanish missionaries got together and made (and delivered) thank you cards for members and investigators and such. It was a good time! Our first dinner was at the Freebairn's! It was super good and a blessing to eat with them. Obispo invited us over next and we went over there to eat with him and some other members. That was a party too! After that, the Spanish crew went to the mall (Black Friday crowds eeeek) to try and do some contacting, but it ended up that we weren't allowed to do that and were stopped by Paul Blart Mall Cop haha. Oh well. It was a good idea!

We've started the Christmas initiative this past Friday, #LighttheWorld. I actually got to see the video in early November bc tech elder. 😬😬 Last week in district meeting, we went through each day of December and thought of ways we could serve others. It's really true that when we serve others we are only in the service of our God. I'm excited for this Christmas season and for the opportunity to spread the light of Christ a little more. 

We have a super busy week coming up! We have MLC on Friday and there's a lot of prep for that. We also just have little things here and there we have to do so we'll be pretty booked most the week. Hopefully, Lisette will get baptized this next Sunday! That's the plan as of right now! Keep her in your prayers please! 

I don't have too much more to report on. I can't believe it's December already. How did that happen?? Always remember your divine worth and eternal importance. I cherish and love my mission and appreciate the love and support I get from each one of you. Have a super week and keep on keepin on!

Con Amor

Elder Joyner

El Día de Acción de Gracias!! (November 21, 2016)

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! It doesn't feel like that's already here but I guess it is, believe it or not. We had our ward thanksgiving party on Friday and it just felt like it was still August or something. Can't believe how fast time flies! I hope y'all have a super good day on Thursday and can eat lots of turkey and stuff! We have plans to go to cousin David's first and then to Obispo's house. We have some other activities planned for that day but I'll let ya know next week. Should be good!!

We had a pretty cool miracle happen on Friday. We went to go to a lunch with a member. Afterwards, she had informed us that the owner of the restaurant (a friend of the member) had wanted a blessing. We said we'd love to do it and help him out. We met with him and kind of explained what a blessing was and then Elder Hall (one of the Spanish elders), only being a couple weeks out, gave his first priesthood blessing. Although the spanish was a little bit broken up, it was such a strong spirit that was there in that blessing. We could tell he felt it too. We told him that he could have this same spirit to be with him always, and that through Jesus Christ he can find peace and comfort in this crazy life. He said thats something he wanted to learn more about; we set up a return appt for the following sunday (yesterday) and we were actually able to go back and teach him the restoration. I feel like time and time again Heavenly Father keeps proving to me that he is in the small details of our lives. If we hadn't have gone to that lunch, we wouldn't have met him and picked him up as a new investigator. I'm grateful for the spirit leading us to those who the Lord has prepared. 

We had a good lesson with Yezli! She had read the chapters we left with her and invited her to pray before she read. She did! She told us the scriptures came to life when she read them and was so much more clear to her this time! I love the scriptures and the lessons and principles we learn from them! I invite you all to better your study of the scriptures and to more fully read our "letters from home."

With Thanksgiving this coming week, I am full of gratitude; for my mission, for my calling, for my mission president and his wife, for my family, for my friends, for my Savior, for His Gospel, for everything. Thank you for all you do. Know i appreciate it so very much. Have a super week!!

Con Amor

Elder Joyner

Transfer11Week3 (November 14, 2016)

Hello Hello!

How's y'all doing? HAPPY BIRTHDAY DWAYNE! Another year another piece of cake, amiright? It sounds like you gots a fun day planned to go see a show, but you should find someone to go with you bud...... :) just sayin. Wow and next week is thanksgiving what? That's pretty crazy how that came so fast. It's crazy to think I'm in the same zone I was in last year for this year too. Should be a good time!

This week seemed kinda busy-ish. I was kinda sick at the beginning of the week but it seemed to clear up as the week went on! I just got a little too exhausted. We had a couple of pretty cool experiences though! One being this last Friday. We had received a referral in the afternoon and went to contact the person that night! The referral was busy and said we could come back another day, but as we were walking back to the car there was a garage open with some blaring mariachi music, so of course we go to check it out. We walk up and start talking to this one guy named Adan. We showed him the video from the Easter initiative that talks about how through Christ we can find a new life. After the video, there was a pretty long silence, and not just like any kind of pause, but like a piercing silence that you could feel and tell he felt something and was thinking about something. He looked up and said something like where can I find you guys or where can I learn more? He told us how he wanted a new life and needed to start over. We promised him that he could be clean and start a new life through Christ. We also promised him that through baptism our sins can be washed away and we can feel new. He wanted that. You could tell in his eyes! We set up a date for this next week to come back and teach him. It was really a tender mercy to see someone so ready to change be placed into our hands, our care, by the Lord. 

Other fun things that happened, Elder Crowley and I had to translate Stake a Conference which was stressful but crazy. It was a good experience though! Also, me and Another elder (elder Allsup) sang at a baptism of Saturday. We had a total of 20 MINUTES to prep, but it turned out ok :)

We also had interviews with President on Friday. I presented the question, that I asked you mom and dad, last week about how I can completely give my whole heart over to the lord? He gave me some real great counsel on it and there are several things I'm doing to try and achieve that. One of them is that I started the Book of Mormon with that in mind. This was something Elder Bednar challenged us to do, and something a dear friend of mine did with this same question. I love it and will share more insights as I go along. I am reminded of the lyrics from Come Thou Fount, which say: "Here's my heart, Oh take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above." This is the time to do the work of the lord and I'm more ready now than ever. 

I want to express my gratitude and love for each one of you. Please know I love, think, and care for each one of you. I love my mission and every second of it. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Love is what conquers all. 

Have a superb week.

Con Amor

Elder Joyner