Monday, April 21, 2014

MOM:

Mom, did you get my package?

No we haven't. The last time I went to the mail was on Saturday.  Do you know when she sent it? and how she sent it?

no clue but i hope you get it soon! ha

I will text her and see how she sent it and mailed it to us.  Do I need to help pay for the postage?

Chase just got done with his Eagle project about 1 1/2 hours ago. I think he is writing it up know at home. He had a great show, I think there were about 12 to 14 people that showed. And the best thing is that the boys acted like they had fun painting!

How are you doing? You staying health?

no you don't need to you can see if you do but they will say it is alright you don't need to ha no way chase did his eagle project that sounds like a lot of fun! and i am doing great mom i do need a copy of my home insurance card and also i need more toothbrush heads haha i am on my last one!  how are you mom and what has been going on?

I'm doing good - I was under the weather for a little bit, but I'm doing good. I still am working at Tuacahn and seem to get in the middle of every little argument that goes on, but I still love my job and feel very blessed with having it. I love being a mom and watching my boys grow up and stay true the Lord. 

What do you need?  Home insurance card or did you mean a Health card?  What is it for?

I will definitely get you some toothbrush heads! But you know I can't just send you toothbrush heads, I will have to send you some fun stuff too ;)

just an insurance one i don't know i just need a copy of mine from home! and mom you just send me toothbrush heads i don't need candy! protien bars or protien mix is all i want haha 

Okay... I will send you the protein bars and toothbrushes. You are so easy to please :)

Do you have any information about calling on Mothers Day yet?

Will you be able to Skype?

I know you said an insurance one - I can get you a copy of our health insurance but I'll have to ask dad about the home owners insurance.  Do you know why you need it?  Is your president asking for it?

ya i know i am haha your the best mom and i haven't heard anything yet it isn't for awhile! haha ;) and i guess we are supposed to have a copy of our heath insurance card 

I just sent you a picture of the card. Do you have the ability of printing it off.  Do you need the medical credit card to pay for something?

no i got it printed off and that is it it just has to go into a folder for all the missionaries i think

I don't know what kind of time you still have online so I went ahead and sent you the medical credit card. If you don't need it then just delete it.

I've heard that a lot of missionaries get antsy when they are their year, just remember to stay true to the end and work hard clear to the end.  You will be blessed for your efforts in all that you do to further the gospel. 

I love you so much and I'm so proud of the son you have become! I am proud to be your mom!! May the Lord bless you always and keep you safe!  You are always in my thoughts and prayers.  Because of you we are receiving blessing and feel the tender mercy's.

Love you,

Mom

love you also and i will work hard till the end! love you so much!

DAD:

I just got an interview for next monday at Provo College to be an adjunct professor there.  I am getting too much going on it is going to drive me crazy.  I haven't listened to your voicemails yet, is everything going well?

everything is great i love being a missionary and go onto LDS.org and watch two mormon messages the first is called "moments the matter most" by elder uchtdorf and the second is by thomas s monson "what matters most"

OK, grandma just came down and said she just got a nice letter from you.  Thank you.

BRAYDEN:

Hey Davey I had the best birthday ever I got a rifle 7mm 8mm it has a 11 kick back it has an awesome scope on it. It is called ruger. I will take a picture of it and send it to you if I can. Thank you for the birthday song I loved it it was the best I started to cry because I miss you.  Davey I love you. I am going to tell you about my hangout party. Well my best friends came over and we played call of duty 2 and it was so fun we had pizza . We played basketball, speed, and poison. We played zombies it was so fun. I got $ 55.00 all my money came to a total of $93.51 I am so rich now. All I need to go on a mission know is $9,900 about so ya. We are having a family party today on Sunday so after that I will email you again so ya. I miss you. I love you most of all.

no way dang you are way rich! and you got so much cool stuff dang that sounds like a blast your party would have been way fun!

Hey Davey,

Did you get my email that I sent on Sunday?  I was going to tell you about my party on Sunday.  My ordination went really good.  I really had a fun time.  The bishop talked about stuff I needed to know about like how to be a good husband.  At the party dad made some really amazing chicken.  A lot of people came to my party.  Today, Monday, I helped Chase with his eagle scout project.  Read that other email that I sent on Sunday and we will be all good.

Brayden

sweet i am about to read it but it sounds like you are having fun! you keep working hard and read your scriptures! i love you and i am glad you had a good birthday

i am sending you pic about my presents.

no way that is so cool!

Yea, it was really cool.  I got really happy when I saw it.  It is a 7mm-08 caliber.  It has a little more kick than Chases.  Chase has a 10 kick and mine is an 11.  It is the same size as yours though just not as much kick as you have.  Yea, I had a really good birthday.  Love ya. 

no way that is sweet it will get you stronger keep shooting straight!

Ok, will do that.  Love you, bye.

WEEKLY LETTER:

Good afternoon family and friends.  This is Elder Moss.  This is Monday, our preparation day and just going over this past week.  Easter Sunday was awesome.  We didn't actually have any investigators at church they were all gone and just couldn't make, they were working or, I don't know, just couldn't make it, Satan was working hard on them.  But we did go by...we had an amazing dinner out in Oakdale with some members and it was just a really nice dinner.  We just went by and visited members and shared spiritual messages and it was just really great.  And so the focus of this last week was we were just trying to get every one of our members with a mission plan, follow up with them, and just do different things.  We also had a zone meeting.  Elder King and I did a training on Pride.  Which was awesome, it was really cool what we did.  Just talked about different forms of pride, how we can get rid of it, and just not have it in our lives.  We did an activity with it, we played heads up seven up and just did different forms of the pride.  It was fun, just a fun little game to go along with pride.  Our investigator Dillion.  He has a date for this week.  He had some law of chastity problems but he should get baptized this weekend, keep him in your prayers definitely.  We had zone conference on Thursday which is awesome, it was down in Merced.  We received some great trainings and just a bunch of other things along with that.  So that lasted pretty much all day but we got out with a member that night trying to find some people.  Also, this last Sunday, one of the members gave me a rugby ball.  So, I've been playing with a rugby ball a lot - and basketball.  It was super funny too, we went and visited one of our investigators, her name is Amy.  Her dad is just anti...pretty much religion.  He was talking to us, trying to throw down on us, and we totally confounded him.  It was awesome, like he...it was just one of those teaching with power and authority and just confounding people.  He went from being totally against us to trying to be our friend in the end.  He's still not very nice to us but it got better.  He like came up to us and was like, "So what did you do before your mission?"  I was just like, "I was a basketball player and played rugby,"  And he was like, "I can tell, you were a good shooter."  And I was like, "Uh, how did you know?"  So it was kinda funny.  We also had a brunch with one of our less active members.  Her name is Ariel and she's super nice and everything but she needs to come back to church, so we had brunch with her.  We also met another less active member, his name is Mack.  He plays football from MJC - Modesto Junior College.  He's really awesome, we're going to be working with him more to bring him back into the church.  With Summer coming along the immorality and immodesty is just going down the drain, it's crazy.  This world is just horrible and just like everything that goes on, the world is in such chaos.  The gospel will keep you safe.  I love you so much, have a great week, do the very best that you can - that is my advice - live the gospel, don't only say you just a member but live it every single day of your life.  All right, love you all, bye bye. 

Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15). There are three types of obedience. 1) Obedience because of fear or obligation, 2) Robot obedience, and 3) Obedience by choice. There is no commitment to moral principle in the first two. They do not help us develop the character of Christ. Obedience by choice and because we love Jesus Christ is selfless. We are motivated by love of our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ.

The purpose of God’s commandments are not to be restrictive, but to enable us greater freedom. (John 8:32). A righteous (not self-righteous) man or woman with a testimony of Jesus Christ and a desire to serve Him and to love, serve, rescue, and nurture family, friends, and strangers is the most free person I know and will experience a great and mighty change in their life. I know this is true.

"A mighty change was wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved. And now behold, I ask of you, have ye been spiritually born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? ... Do ye exercise faith?...Can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, Come unto me?" (Alma 5:13-16).

My Easter testimony is that Jesus Christ lives. He is our Savior. Greater joy and happiness will come into your life and mine as we keep His commandments and experience a great and mighty change in our hearts.

Monday, April 14, 2014

DAD:
Hi son.  I finally got caught up with your blog yesterday - I was three weeks behind and it took a lot of time to get everything posted.  I emailed an excerpt from one of your emails to President Robinson and Bishop Hurt.  President Robinson emailed back and thanked me and said he appreciated me sharing your experiences with him.

thats awesome i am still impressed you are doing a blog for me thanks so much dad your the best!

Well, it's for everyone.  We are almost to 6000 page views.  I know I haven't been on it that much, I only get on once a week.  When you google elder davey moss it comes up with that blog as number one, if you just google davey moss it is down further like 5 or 6, so people don't even need to know the address, they can just google you. 

dang no way haha that is sweet!

Mom said Sister Burnett asked for our address to ship a package when you got transfered but we have never got one.  Did you end up not sending a package home? 

no i gave it to her to send home i hope you get it it has a lot of memories in it!

Well mom will have to get with her and found out what is going on.  Did you send home the book I made from the blog?

no not yet it is other stuff

Well, I would like to see it.  Unless you want to keep it to show your companions and reminisce about your first year.

ya i will send it home!

I told you I was doing your taxes...I called the IRS and they said I needed to send them to you and have you sign them or have you sign a power of attorney and get it notorized.  I just signed them electronically as if I was you and sent them in.  I don't think I told you that you got $150 back from the feds and $50 back from the state.  To do them electronically it cost me like $10 each so I figured it was worth it.

ya that sounds great thanks so much dad!

Your welcome.  Love you.  Have a great week.

you as well love you all so much!


MOM:
How are you doing?  4 Voice mails, Yeah!!!!!  I can't wait to get home to listen to them.

hahaha your the best mom!

Did you get my voicemail?

We are doing really good and are staying busy with work, being a mom and everything else.  

Brayden will be receiving the Aaronic Priesthood on Sunday.  He is so cute trying to plan this big party.

I heard that Brady Lindy came home sick from his mission a bit ago and decided not to go back out when he got better. He is going to school up north.

yup i am listening to it right now!  and no way that is crazy about brayden linde! dang..


KATELYNN:
Hi Davey,  I am home from school early today.  I left early because I had an awful pain in my back.  I went to the doctor thinking I had a kidney stone but it was just an infection.  He gave me some pain killer and antibiotic and sent me home.  Hope all is going well for you.  Love you.

no way i hope you get well soon! how is the married life?

Married life is great.  Jeff and I went to St. George and then Las Vegas for spring Break.  We saw 3 shows and ate out and hung out together and it was a blast.  We bought guitar drinks, I attached photos.  You can see the straw coming out of the top and the rest of the guitar was filled with a peach daquiri and strawberry daquiri

hahahaha you are so silly but i like it!

We love you!

well duhh ;)


WEEKLY LETTER:
Allright, good evening.  This is, of course, Elder Moss reporting from Modesto, Ca.  It's been really cool.  We've had a really busy week this past week.  Some of the things which we did, I'll just quickly go over it.  Monday we had preparation day and I got a haircut, finally.  She actually also, she did an eyebrow wax on all of the elders there.  It wasn't like a full eyebrow wax but it was really weird and it really hurt.  So yea, you can say that I got a wax done on some of my eyebrows and it was really weird but I wasn't alone so don't think I was like feminine or something - she just did it - but hey, it's the experience that counts.  So, of course I was emailing you all and just doing all of that.  And then Tuesday we went and taught Dillion and he's doing really good.  We actually had his baptismal interview and he's struggling with different things of the law of chastity.  The law of chastity doesn't have a time limit like the word of wisdom - you have to live it for two weeks before your baptized - but the law of chastity you don't have to, there's like no set time limit.  But we want to make sure that he is truly repentant and that we are not just baptizing him like to his damnation or something.  So, just pray for him so that he can overcome that.  He's going to meet with our branch president tomorrow to see if he can still get baptized this Sunday.  So, we met with him and we also met with some of our members.  We've been setting up mission plans and everything with them.  One was with Tatum, she's really awesome, she's one of out branch missionaries and we've just been setting things up with her and helping her do missionary work more.  She wants to serve a mission and so that's really cool.  We had a leadership training Wednesday and that was so much fun.  Tuesday night all of the leaders...since we live up in Modesto it's like an hour and forty to two hour drive down to Fresno where our leadership training was, so it's a long drive and we have three district leaders and two zone leaders and so we all just drove in one car together... and so we all met Tuesday night and all of the leaders slept together but it was super...it was a lot of fun.  At 10:30 lights go off but we all like - the family will get a kick out of this - we all like circled up and did a wresting tournament - king of the house, or king of the apartment.  Elder King stayed with the other other elders in the other apartment but this was all the leaders and we all did wrestling matches so it would like be one on one - like everyone was in a big circle and two people would step forward and they would wrestle each other then the winner would step back and he would then wrestle someone else.  Safe to say, I was the king of the apartment.  It was really cool except for I beat everyone and then the very last one Elder Ervin, I beat him once already but then he beat the other person so he was like in the loser bracket and then he moved up and was facing me again and he beat me the second time.  It was hard cause I was super tired.  But that was such a fun night, we were so tired.  And then we drove down to Fresno the next morning and had our leadership training which was super awesome and inspired.  We went to uh, after leadership training, we went to a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant - stinking been having so much Mexican food on my mission it's crazy, I'm going to be able to bear dad's Mexican food when I get home - It was good.  And then because of the long drive back up we had to stay at the zone leader's apartment again and my back's just been killing me cause we had to sleep on the floor.  But it's all good cause like I stretch in the morning and everything so it's totally good like no worries there at all.  We stayed at the zone leaders apartment again and we just had a blast talking and getting to know each other better.  Elder King took over the area and has just been doing awesome with that just really stepping up to the plate.  So, before I get to the bible study and what happened, the next day we actually went on an exchange with the zone leaders, they're in my district so I got to go on another exchange with them.  And so I went with Elder Crawford in his area.  He's doing really awesome, we saw a lot of miracles and grabbed some new investigators.  I went with them in the Spanish area and we didn't really teach that Spanish.  Oh, it was so weird, we uh, we met this kid, his name in Daniel, he's actually a YSA but he goes to the Spanish ward with his family so we thought it would better for him to go to the Spanish ward.  But it was so weird, in the lesson, every time I spoke or said something he would always giggle and then say like I'm cute or something.  We found out very quickly...yes, he was gay.  It was so funny.  He was like super into Holister and the very first thing when he saw me was like, "Were you a Holister model?"  And I was like, "What the heck, how did you know?"  It was super funny.  Yea, he was gay, and he liked me, and it was really weird.  But we taught a very good lesson and I'm glad that the Spanish Elders are going to be teaching him and not me.  So on that one it was really weird.  But hopefully he can be able to repent and get baptized also.  We just finished up the exchange and got back together with Elder King and just had a great time.  But the cool thing was we met this girl at our apartment and we were like. "If you ever need anything we want to help out, we want to be able to be there for you."  She was like, "I'm going to take you up on that."  And tonight she um, while we were weekly planning, she came and knocked on the door.  We were surprised, like it was pretty cool.  She invited us to a bible study.  We were like, "Allright, yea, we'll go."  And so we got permission and everything and we go over there and it's a huge Seven Day Adventist Church.  It's like their youth group and it's there bible study and we had dinner with them and we actually didn't get to do the bible study with them cause we had to get going, we were about over on time so we just ate dinner with them but it was a really good impression that they had from us.  It was one of those things like "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words" so we were very good examples and showed them who Mormons are, who the Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints really are and it was a really great experience.  We found out, like I said, that it was a youth bible study group and so all the people were in YSA age and so they invited us back next week and so we're going to start going with other Elders to teach them to see if we could get with any of them.  One of the kids there actually, we talked to him, and he used to study with Mormon Missionaries.  So, hopefully we can get with him and be able to teach him again.  It just goes to show that no matter what we do we respect other people for what they believe because evidently every single church, or every single religion, they all have truth in them.  The point of the fact is that we have the fullness of the gospel and they need to know that and by us respecting them for what they believe they need to have the fullness of the gospel in the life and so we gotta talk to them, we gotta tell them some things.  I actually gotta...I talked about Katelynn, my dear sister, getting married to her husband in a temple and I got to show them a picture of a temple and they really loved it.  They said, "Wow, that makes things worth it."  It was really cool and they really appreciated it.  Hopefully they are going to warm up to us more and hopefully we will be able to see a lot of good come from it.  The biggest thing we are doing right now is that we are just trying to find new investigators and be able to find those who are prepared.  I mean we have a lot of people we have found over the past few days, like a lot, and we just need to keep finding more prepared ones.  That's really all that's going on the Modesto 2nd YSA branch.  It's the best, I love it up here so much.  I just love being a missionary and I just know with all my heart that this church is true and just what a blessing it is to be a part of it and to know for yourself, to gain that testimony, and especially being able to apply the atonement every single day and that's the greatest part.  I don't know what I'd do either without my personal study.  I was such a dillweep before my mission, just like not studying my scriptures or anything, ah dang, I also wish I would have studied Preach my Gospel more cause that's like everything to do with missionary work.  Those things just like strengthen my testimony so much, my personal shield for the day.  I know it's true.  I love it and live it with all my heart and might and I won't ever go back again to the way I was.  Keep progressing and keep changing and becoming even more Christlike and better.  I love you all and I hope you have a great and miracle filled week.  And you'll hear from me soon, of course, allright, love you, goodnight, bye.

“Now, my dear young friends, missionary work is not easy. In fact, it is often quite difficult, but the Lord is the greatest paymaster in the world. Dedicated missionary service is one of life’s most fulfilling experiences. This is in large measure because of the divine agency which flows so richly from the Lord to His humble and obedient servants to bless the lives of others. I know this because I have seen it manifested in the lives of thousands and have felt it in my own life.” - President James E. Faust

President Eyring said, “Whoever you are and wherever you may be, you hold in your hands the happiness of more people than you can now imagine. Every day and every hour you can choose to make or keep a covenant with God. When you choose whether to make or keep a covenant with God, you choose whether you will leave an inheritance of hope to those who might follow your example.”

Monday, April 7, 2014

DAlD:
(The first part of the thread from Dad was sent last week and responded to by Davey this week) 
[3/31] I been waiting all day to hear from you. I was just in to Cabella's picking out Brayden's birthday present and I missed you.

[4//7] i miss cabella's haha that is sweet though tell him i love him and a happy birthday i won't be able to send him anything though...

Don't worry about sending him anything just an email will be good his birthday is not till the 17th and I'll be back down here that weekend and ordain him on the 20th

that is so sweet ya remind me next week to do that and i will!

Hello son,

I am down with the family today.  Katelynn and Chase are doing something with an Ipad on the couch; Brayden and Jeff are playing Black Ops 2 on the XBox 360.  

I did my taxes yesterday and I did your's today but I can't file unless I can convince them I am you.  To do that I need to tell them what your adjusted gross income was last year and I can't find your tax return to find that amount.  Mom is not home yet so I will ask her.  Maybe you didn't file before you left...do you remember if you did?

I am behind on your blog.  This will be the third week I haven't typed you voice mails up.

We are going Olive Garden for Brayden's early birthday since Katelynn is down for her spring break.

What else?  I don't know.  Hope all is going well, I will listen to your voicemails now.

Dad.

PS, Everyone says Hi

i am pretty sure i did file it i don't remember not doing it. i am glad you are all together!

Coley is out here and we are getting together (well I'll be gone) with the coombs' tomorrow.

no way that is so crazy he is home haha dang it goes by so quick!

Yes it does, but only when it's another person son. I am picking up the truck from Larry riders place right now. We had to get it fixed. Moms going to be off work in a minute. So anyway I haven't had time to listen to your voicemail.

no worries at all did you like conference?

I didn't get to see any of it on Saturday. I was going to go with the boys to the priesthood session but Chase had that Miss ivins pageant thing he was doing so we supported him in that instead. But Sunday was really good I really liked elder uchtdorfs talk, it really seem to apply to our family and our circumstances right now

oh i loved that talk! it was super awesome now i cant wait till the ensign comes out to read it again!

Neither can I...so I can read Saturday's talks.

well you can see them you have a smart phone and computer silly! 

Yea, I'll probably do that instead of waiting.  Mom and I are off to meet with the renters and sign the contract.

alright i love you so much have a great week!


MOM:
Hey Davey,

I thought I would write to you this morning instead of sending a voicemail (it looks like you aren't able to get my voicemail.

Since the Tuacahn season has officially started it is very difficult to get on and visit with you on email, plus it seems like you email at different times and it makes it hard to know when you will be on.

My past week...

On April 1 we had a fun April Fools day...  Brayden started with pulling some jokes on Chase, but each one didn't work. Then that night I was getting ready for bed and went to use the bathroom, when I lifted the lid the scariest face was looking up at me and boy did I scream!!!!  Outside of the bathroom door I could hear both Chase and Brayden laughing hard. To say the least I didn't need to go the bathroom for awhile.  Dad pulled some jokes on Katelynn and Jeff. I guess Jeff hasn't ever been pranked on April Fools day and wasn't to happy with dads jokes.  He put Jello in their juice so it came out like jello, he taped their remote, and he put cool-aid in Jeff's Mountain Dew.  It was a fun day!!!

I have had the opportunity to be the head office manager to work the concerts at Tuacahn.  We have had Willie Nelson, ABBA, Blues Traveler, and this Friday we will be having Amy Grant and Vince Gill.  I have had fun working the concerts and feel great when everything goes good every night.

Chase was able to be in the Ivins Princess Pageant as an escort. They don't do Mr. Ivins, but if they had Chase would have totally have done it.  Chase got a cat call from a girl from the audience and the funny thing is that when they announced who Chase was they said his name wrong they got his name mixed up with another boys. I was really funny!!!

I really enjoyed the general womens meeting.  The strength of all the women in the church being gathered together on one day is just a wonderful feeling, knowing that you aren't going through things alone that there are other women who go though the same troubles as you and to have the cute little girls come join us was such an amazing feeling. You can truly feel their sweet spirits.

Conference was amazing!!! I was finally able to watch Saturday's conference (I haven't been able to do this for the last few times). I was loving each speaker and their message they gave.

We had our renters after 2 years move out and we have hired a contractor to finish the basement in that home. At the same time we had a friend of mine Diana Moore call me and say that their is a family friend that would like to rent our home. I gave her all of the details and told her that it would be available to rent the first of May. The family came by and like our home and want to rent it. They are the Obray's, they have a daughter Hope Obray that I met and she says that she knows you, she is a senior at the High School.

Chase has decided to run for student body again. I told him that I didn't know where we would be and tto do live as if we will be here.  I am trying for a job at the Santa Clara Elem. as a Secretary and if I get it we will stay here and live in the Santa Clara home.  

Dad is moving forward with building a home up in Lehi, so if I don't get a job here I will move up when the house is done.

We love you so much and pray for you daily. I will try to get on today, but if not know that you are always in my thoughts. I miss you and can't wait for our visit on Mothers day.

Mom

PS - are you able to get my voicemails?

Hi mom

You are on! Yeah!!!! I finally get to email you :)

How are you doing?

hey hey! and yes i can get your voice mails now 

Awesome!! I love to get your voice mails and I like to send them to you.

Did you do any April Fools Jokes?

i just scare my companion all the time mom haha it is awesome but no i didn't do any jokes...i should have!

Did you see the picture that I sent you about the practical joke that Chase did?

YES! ahh that was so funny i was laughing i miss being with you all! i am so glad though i am on a mission i wouldn't trade this for anything!

So a funny about dad...

Dad was in a hurry to get Brayden from school and he had left Lin's. While walking to the car he was reading his receipt he got in the car. As he went in and sat down he looked over to his left and saw a man sitting in the passenger seat, then as he was turned a dog licked him (which was in the back seat). Dad said, "Oh... I must have the wrong car"  the guy said, "oh... I think you do".  I laughed sooooo hard!!!!  It was so funny!!!

hahahaha oh my gosh that is so awesome haha i love that ha dang that is funny!

I am heading home and hope we can keep visiting.  If not love you so much and can't wait to visit with you on Mothers day!!

when is mothers day? 

In may

oh ok no worries we got some time! ha


Good evening family and those others of my friends.  This is Elder Moss.  It is Sunday night tonight, the end of the week.  It's been a really great week.  A lot of things have happened.  We've been on exchanges and also we had a great meeting.  So, I'll just go though it tonight.  So, we've been teaching a lot of different people.  We only found three new investigators - that's one of the things we are working on is finding new investigators.  We are really striving to work more with our members.  We are seeing - it takes a little bit longer because it takes more energy and more time to work with the members rather than going out and talking to everyone but we are seeing that it is really helping us.  So we are still teaching a lot of people.  Dillon is still on track to get baptized this week.  We are doing a lot of what we call ATMs or Awake The Members to help them get active in missionary work.  Wednesday we had trainer/trainee meeting down at Fresno so we woke up super early, like five in the morning to get ready to drive down to Fresno cause it's like a two hour drive.  But that was really fun.  Received a lot of inspiration and it was just a great time.  It was just weird being back in my area but it was really good, I loved it.  The next day we had exchanges that we went on with the Spanish Elders.  I took one to my area and we taught a lot of lessons.  We have these three black girls that are going to get baptized.  One has a date and we are just working with them.  One came to conference this week which was so good.  We went to Fudrucker's with one of our members who went and took us out which is super good.  I think I have been to it before, I can't remember though, I think I remember when we went in New York or something but I could be totally wrong.  But, yea, General Conference was super sweet and I'll talk about that in my next voice mail.  But yea, we've been teaching a lot and seeing miracles.  We are seeing a lot of blessing, we are just really excited for all that we got going on.  Conference was so amazing.  I love Conference so much.  The Saturday morning session was just great.  Some of my favorite talks were the Gratitude one by President Uchtdorf and...well I can't just list them off cause like Elder Holland, Elder Oaks on the Priesthood...just so many of them were super good.  For conference Saturday morning we woke up early to go with the YSA.  And so we went with them, ate some breakfast, watched the first session of General Conference and then cleaned the church and then we had lunch and then we watched the second session.  The Priesthood session was also super great.  I just have super big testimony...I wrote down like eight questions in which I came to conference with and they were all answered and so I know if you prayerfully wrote down questions and applied that principle then you would have received a lot more and you would have prepared yourself better.  I hope during the conference you were all attentive and just super awake.  I know before my mission it was the hardest thing to do that but conference is so amazing.  And just like always, the most important part of conference is the application and follow up; making sure we are doing what we need to be doing a apply in our lives and become changed.  One of my favorite talks was Elder Ballard's also.  He was talking about missionary work and how we need to read Preach My Gospel.  And that is my invitation to you, that you take that literally:  Read Preach My Gospel, set goals for yourself to invite others to come unto Christ and to receive this gospel, to come back into the fold.  I love this work so much, it's the best.  I couldn't be thinking of a better thing to be doing with my life than what I am doing right now.  I've grown so much and I continue to grow.  Thank you for your love and support.  I really do appreciate it and all that you do.  This week was just amazing.  After the Priesthood session we went back home and then went out and taught and then had Sunday session which we had an investigator at and then we had dinner with our Branch President and set up another ATM.  We are just looking forward to everything that's in the future.  I love you all and I hope that your week is great and full of miracles.  Love you, goodnight.

“There has been a long history of rejection and a painfully high price paid by prophets and apostles, missionaries and members in every generation all those who have tried to honor God’s call to lift the human family to ‘a more excellent way.’ Sadly enough, my young friends, it is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to be gods who do not demand much, comfortable gods and smooth gods who not only don’t rock the boat but don’t even row it, gods who pat us on the head, make us giggle, then tell us to run along and pick marigolds. Talk about man creating God in his own image! Sometimes — and this seems the greatest irony of all — these folks invoke the name of Jesus as one who was this kind of ‘comfortable’ God. Really? … Now be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don’t have it at all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them. A long history of inspired voices, including…Thomas S. Monson, point you toward the path of Christian discipleship.” -Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Monday, March 31, 2014

OK, good morning family and friends.  This is Elder Moss, it's Sunday morning today and I'm just going to give a reporting of my week.  So, This last Monday was preparation day of course.  We went out and got everything done.  We of course played basketball.  It was really fun.  Then we went to FHE.  It was at one of the branch presidency's house and on the way out there we saw some deer.  It was really cool cause like my whole mission I haven't seen any animals - well besides like little chihuahuas and stuff like that - so yea, we got to see some wild deer out in the boonies and so that was pretty cool. And then the next day we had a zone meeting.  For the zone meeting, we as a zone all fasted for miracles and just an increase in spirit and things.  And so we were fasting this whole time and so yea, it was really good.  We talked about the atonement and just different finding techniques and just different ways to keep pressing forward.  We had a lesson with our two baptismal dates - Dillon and Christina while we were on an exchange.  I went on an exchange with one of the zone leaders, Elder Leavitt into his area and so Elder King took over the area and taught those two lessons.  We found a lot in the Spanish area, they were Spanish and it was just really fun.  And so Dillon and Christina they have dates in April and so they should be progressing really nicely to hit those dates and so we're really excited.  We also this week found two new investigators.  Their names are Janell and Michelle.  They play basketball for MJC, they're on the women's team.  That was pretty sweet, that was pretty cool to see and it was just a lot of fun so...  We also found another investigator who had girlfriend who was a member and they dated for like two years.  She asked him to meet with missionaries once they broke up and he's just doing it now.  So hopefully we will be able to baptize his as well.  Oh I got a crazy story to tell you, well it wasn't that crazy but:  So we um, Saturday we had, we got, I got invited to one of the baptisms back in Fresno East where my last area was.  One of my, one of the families, the Hermosillos, the mother was getting baptized, her name is Maria, and we got invited and so three of us who went down there, we got into this nice car, it's called a Tesla car, it's like $120,000, it's like oh my gosh- it was such a nice car.  That's beside the point - it runs on all electricity and so while we were going down there it was totally fine and everything was good.  But when we were coming back the car ran out of electricity.  And so we were in about Turlock when we were just about on 1% of energy just running this car.  And so we found a charging station but then the charging station took forever and so we were pretty much stranded for a little bit.  Elder King was just working our area and the other missionary's area also so it was really cool.  But yea we got everything started up but the cool part was on our way back home we thought we had enough to make it back and we didn't and the car hit zero and ran out of energy but it was till going.  I guess our faith helped it to keep going and we made it back to her house and she switched cars and was able to take us back home.  So, that was really cool to see.  But yea, so today we are just fasting since it is fast Sunday since it's General Conference which we are so excited for.  So, yea, that was pretty much my week this past week.  But I love you all so much and I hope that you have a great week and that you can be able to see miracles in you life.  Yea, keep preparing for General Conference, it's so important that we prepare for it and get ready.  But I love you all and let me know if there is anything I can do to help out or anything at all, ok, bye bye. 

Hey family i am doing great up here in Modesto i just wanted to write a few things i don't really know what but i hope your week is great and expecially general conference! i am so excited for that and i hope you spiritually prepare yourselves! i love you so much and always pray for you and your well being i am grateful for the oppertunity i have to be serving our lord, it is by far the hardest work i have ever done but the most rewarding, i have grown so much! Always share the gospel and when required use words. be a missionary i can tell you how important members of the church are they are the key in hastening the work along. repent daily and stand as a righteous witness at all times everywhere! always live what you believe never be a "check your religion at the door of the church"person i jknow you aren't i love you so much and you have helped me grow have a miracle filled week!

Elder Moss

ps also mom how was the womens broadcast i heard it was awesome! 

Monday, March 24, 2014

DAD:
Mom's at work but I am available to talk.  What is your schedule?  I have missed talking to you for a couple of weeks.  I am going to go in and listen to your week while I await your response.

my schedule like for today?

Yea, are you just starting your computer time or are you about done?

just starting up but i might be in and out palying ball!

So, you're at the church?  Using the computer there?

yes i sure am! the church on 4300 dale road in modesto 

Is Lodi in your area now?

i have no clue it doesnt sound familiar 

It's probably in San Francisco mission.  I had a companion from there, Elder Wade.  I just remember he said he was from Lodi and I dind't know where it was and he said North of Modesto.  How is it being so far North?

super different but it is great i love it already and the members are awesome! 

I looked it up and you are right on the border of the mission.

ya there is this one spot that we drive on the 99 and if we miss the exit we will be out of the mission ha it is crazy we are so far north 

Congrats on the baptism!  

What is up with passing on investigators because they have a baby or they are not married? 

thanks so  much but the credit isn't in us we are just working hard and being instraments and no they either have a baby or they are married

Elder Moss, Elder Falslev, Elder Guereca, and Elder King

Good afternoon family and friends, this is Elder Moss reporting from Modesto, Ca.  So, just about my last week, we had a great week.  Last  Monday we had some good basketball with some high school kids and a guy from out ward that plays like a Harlem Globetrotter - he's so good.  We've been finding a lot of new investigators but then we find out that they either have a kid or their married or something along those lines and so we have to pass them off.  And everytime we pass of an investigator, they are so ready to get baptized, it's disheartening to see them, or letting them go, but we know the Lord's gonna bless us.  We have been really focusing on a family mission plan and, well it's actually not a family mission plan, it's called the Ultimate Mission Plan.  It is just for YSAs, it's so that they can be able to get active in doing missionary work themselves.   We also had zone conference this week, it was awesome.  We love zone conference so much. It is just really cool to see what we need to improve on and being able to get a spiritual high and just being able to refocus in.  We also met with one of the investigators we have, his name is Dillion.  We met with him with a member - his best friend - and we set a baptismal date with him for April, I think April 13 is his baptismal date, which is awesome.  And then we were wondering how we were going to baptize this month because we need to and we've been handing off all of our investigators that are going to get baptized, so....  Finally, at church, there's this girl, her name is Christina, and she's a members friend, and she recently was engaged - well she got married then she got divorced - so she's back YSA and she wants to get baptized.  She's been to church a bunch of times and she is living everything and so she's gonna get baptized this weekend and we are so excited, it's so awesome, it was truly a blessing from Heavenly Father and through our hard work he was able to show forth his hand and help us out.  And so we are going to be baptizing Christina this weekend.  We also found a Muslim.  His name is Omahansa.  It was a referral from Spanish Elders.  And we are going to be teaching him with President because we have to get President's approval to teach him, so President is going to come out this next week.  But yea, that's really all I got going on this last week.  I love you so much, have a great week and keep doing what is right, love ya, bye.