Transferring to Indio!

This week was a little bit slow, but it was good. First things, I got transferred!! I'm going back to the Thermal Ward in Indio CA. I was there about 18 months ago (fetch im old), being trained. I'm pretty sure this will be my last area. I will be with Elder Johnson from Michigan. I lived with Elder Johnson in Jurupa for 2 transfers, and we got along great. He's super jacked soo we'll work out hard, and we'll baptize. Oh, and we'll also be the Zone Leaders of the Palm Desert Zone. I'm super excited for the area and companion however, I'm not so excited for being ZL. That means I just have to worry and take care of more people. Oh well, I gotta step up to the plate.

 Well this week, we had some really cool experiences. I'll start with the Preciado family. They are a family of four, who we had on date for the 30th of December. They're super prepared, ready, elect, however you want to say it. A couple things happened, they went out of town for like 2-3 weeks and didn't come to church, couldn't get a hold of them, so we were super worried. On the edge of dropping them. We finally had a strong feeling to go visit them Thursday night, found Alma (mom), and Javier (hijo), at home eating. Alma answered the door and said, "Hey! Man we just barely got home, and we're super tired, eating, do you want to come back tomorrow night at 7?"  "Absolutely!" we said.

"I've got something to tell you guys tomorrow." she said with a smile. The thing was, is we didn't know if that was a good smile or a bad one or like a shameful one, but we were trippin hardcore on what she was going to tell us.

So the next day she texts us and cancels and we're like, "Can we just know what you were going to tell us?!" No reply till next day saying,

"Hi Allen & Dial!!! Sorry my ph died! 4got my ph charger @ hm had purchase a new 1! Jst got ur txt! Well what i want say is NOT GOOD? Over d holidays i relapsed! I was doing sooo gd, but I'm Human i mk mistakes! I apoligize! Hope u will understand! Don't thnk I can do this BIG CHANGE??? I hv 2 tk it 1 day @ a time!!! W/NO PRESSURE!!!"   (got a headache yet? Ya I got one too.)

Well,  we ended up calling her and she didn't even really relapse. She was a drunk and smoker before, and at the family festivities she said she did two toasts, and two puffs of a cigarette. When she smoked the cigarette she said she felt sick. Her family said she's different, she used to be the life of the party, and all that garbage, now she was sitting on the couch READING THE BOOK OF MORMON!!!!! She put a magazine on the outside hiding the Book of Mormon so her family wouldn't see. She is suuuuuper solid and I'm super excited to return for her baptism. She broke down into tears and said she was living a double life and hated turning her back on her family and all that garbage, and I said basically if your family doesn't support you in what your doing, then fear God more than men. Told her to go pray and it was super cool.

Then, on Sunday I contacted these two girls on the street, and gave them the whole rundown about the gospel and one said, "We're not interested because you think being gay is wrong."

I said,  "Actually God says being gay is wrong. We follow God not man."

She then proceeded to cuss me out in Spanish to her girlfriend, not knowing I spoke spanish as well. So I said, "Que les vaya bien, y que Dios les bendiga y abra sus ojos!"  translated…”Go in peace and may God open your eyes.”)

 I crossed the street and contacted another family without saying anything else to her. She was in complete shock and walked away :)

I love being a missionary. I'm soo sick of trying to sugar coat things for people.

The Gospel is true. Accept it, and live it. 

I love you!

Elder Matt Dial