La fin d'une bonne mutation (The end of a good transfer)

Bonjour!!

This past week was sadly my last week in the Olivenhain ward. I've been transferred! We found out that I will be going to serve in the Granite Hills ward, down in El Cajon, East of San Diego. And.... I'm going to be speaking French! There is only one French area in the mission, so I feel very blessed to be here. Elder Doman will be staying in Olivenhain and will train! I will miss him, but I know he will do an awesome job. My new companion is Elder Norris, reassigned from the Barbados mission! We live with two other Elders in a Members home. The other Elders are Swahili speaking, so we have our own little Africa here!

I had thought that this past week might be my last, so I tried to make it a very good one! It was probably one of the busiest weeks yet. We did two Bible studies with new people. A member's friend and then someone we found through Facebook. Both went great and we had plans to continue them this week. One even expressed a desire to learn more about the church!

We also got to do more service. We literally helped to hand out food to those who needed it. It just made me so happy to help these people out. 

On Sunday, Elder Doman and I gave talks! We thought it could be a good idea to help grow closer to the ward (other missionaries, try it!) So we volunteered to do it. It turned out really great and we think it helped the ward to better trust us. 

I have loved my time in Olivenhain, but there is always something better ahead. Change is always weird, uncomfortable, and different, but it helps us to grow into the people the Lord needs us to be! It is always a good thing!

Elder Brooks

Notes from our video call:

The mission had two French areas when he got there, but the one in San Diego moved to English because the missionaries weren't using their French very often.  His zone has French, Swahili, Farsi, and Arabic areas but no Spanish.  The mission also has Mandarin, Tagalog, and ASL areas.

His area is about 20 minutes east of the Mission Office.  Elder Norris is the District Leader and they live with a member.  The Zone Leaders also live with them and have a Swahili area.

The Granite Hills ward has a meeting in English followed by a meeting in Swahili.  Many of the French speaking members also speak Swahili.

Transferring in this mission is much different than transferring in Africa.  He had his two bags, backpack, bedding, and a box of his food.  All of the transferring missionaries met at the mission office.  Some of the missionaries had to make 2 or 3 trips to the car to get all of their things.  In Africa he had to get everything into his two bags and backpack so that he could take a van transport.

The mission received 30 new missionaries this transfer.  They will receive another 20 in six weeks.

"What does the Lord need me to do?"

This last week, we've just been hard at work, so I thought I'd share some stories and successes, then share some cool thoughts at the end.

First, we got to help a non member help paint some fence! Elder Doman and I were just talking about Karate Kid the whole time, but he painted with a brush and I had a roller... so it didn't work as well. They were super nice and gave us some popsicles and we will be back to help them hopefully this week! 

We spent almost all day Wednesday making a video for Facebook (don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe! But like for real because it helps other people to see it!). It was all about Christ being the Light of the World.

Cali Sunset!

On Sunday, Elder Doman and I had the awesome opportunity to help our deacons pass the sacrament for church. And even though we were a bit taller than them all, I really felt like we were standing shoulder to shoulder with them, because we were acting under the same Priesthood Authority.

Now, for some quick spiritual insights. 

I really have been focusing this past week on being more concentrated on what the Lord wants. Sometimes, when I feel tired or unmotivated to continue, I say a little prayer and think, "What does the Lord need me to do?" Instantly, my mind is clear, I know what I need to do, and I can find strength to do it. It's been helping me to always keep the Lord in mind and to realize who I really am as a missionary of the Lord. 

And most of all, it makes me happy. I find joy in thinking of others and how I can serve them. I love that about the gospel, how it is a gospel of love. When we love others, we lose ourselves. When we "deny ourselves" and think more of others, we lose ourselves in their work and in their needs, and that is what makes us happy.

The gospel is real and true. Live and love it!

Elder Brooks

After 9 pm missionary work!

Monte Cristo Sandwiches!

I found oat milk at the store today!

Come Unto Jesus

This past week felt like an hour and a year at the same time... Not sure how that works, but it does 😂😂

Last week, we had the miracle to be able to do Zone Conference in person! And it was such a great conference, possibly because it was in person and we got to see real live people! And, I love President Gimenez so much! He just has a cool perspective on things in the gospel and I feel so blessed that he is my mission president.

We talked a lot about using Facebook effectively and using our time effectively as well. We've made a new effort to keep finding those people to teach. Elder Doman and I have been working on talking to more people when we get the chance. We were carpooling with another companionship and they showed us how they talk to the cars next to them at stoplights whenever they drive. Elder Doman and I joke that we could flick pass along cards into other people's cracked windows while driving down the road.

We've also been doing more concentrated messages on Facebook, asking specifically about other people and their views and beliefs or even just what they are interested in. 

We served a bit again! I got to hold a chicken at Sister Leones and we moved a piano at other members in the ward too! 

That crazy chicken at Sister Leones!

Replacing the Elder Quorum and moving a piano!

Los Tacos!  Part 5?

I am constantly amazed at these members and how willing they are to let us into their homes and help us too. Our apartment is still packed with way too much food and once we tried to go out and somebody randomly called in and bought our meal for us while we were ordering. 

I also had a cool experience yesterday. It was a pretty tough day and we faced a lot of rejections in little forms. But it was so weird. I was happy and filled with hope. I can't explain it, because I don't really know how it worked. But, that morning, I decided to study about my divine identity. I felt that I should study that during General Conference and see who I really am. Not some 19 year old dressed up in a shirt and tie biking around Cali, but a son of God. It is such a simple doctrine to understand, but it makes such a difference in our day to day lives. 

When we understand who we are and our purpose, we realize that our only way to achieve that purpose is through Christ. We really aren't more than the dust of the earth. But, with Him we can amount to so much more. With His ways and His teachings, we can progress and change for the better. We can decide if we will choose to be a part of the House of Israel and "let God prevail."

Love you all! Hope you all have the best weeks out there!

Elder Brooks

brooks.jonah@missionary.org 

Eating dinner with the Archibalds on Sunday

Skeleton Horse decoration at one of our member's houses

Notes from our video call:

His area has a lot of rural areas.  He has learned how to open a bale of hay.

The mission has a Social Media Content Team that has video equipment and helps the missionaries take their ideas and turn them into good videos.

He sang a musical number at the Zone Conference

The San Diego Temple!

To start things off, we got to go to the temple! Elder Doman went through for the first time on Wednesday. We had lunch together with his parents and then I dropped them off at the temple for his session. I wasn't allowed to go through with him for COVID reasons. 

In the meantime, I spent the day with Elder Buss and Elder Harvey and we kinda bounced around all of San Diego, since our apartment was still pretty far north. We went to our mission office (I got to see Elder Turner, a friend from Junior High) and we also went to Balboa park in San Diego. Then, we picked up Elder Doman from his parents and we all went home. Pretty crazy experience. I got to eat lunch with my companion's parents while serving with him. I'll add it to the rest of my crazy mission experiences list. 

Elder Turner at the mission office

Balboa Park!

The Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park
(We attended an organ recital there when we were on vacation last year)

Some other miracles this week: Some members gave us Jamba Juice gift cards and it was insanely hot one day, so we got Jamba Juice! Earlier this week, I thought I only had one half gallon of my milk, but I found another gallon of it in the back of the fridge, so I have been CHUGGING it. Bob watched General Conference too! Also, literally while writing this, a member offered to bring us cinnamon rolls (they feed us like crazy here. I've actually starting gaining so much weight...)

For General Conference, WOW. We got to watch three of the sessions with members and have great meals with them as well. On Sunday morning, I felt cold, so I wore my sweater and we had breakfast with a member before conference and it literally felt like Christmas!!! For the last session, we just watched at the church with the Spanish Elders. 

Sweater Weather

Conference Treats in the Clerk's Office

For conference, I came with so many questions and literally everyone single one of them was answered. One question I had was all about how to be more charitable and love others. And Elder Renlunds talk was exactly what I needed about loving mercy. In our morning devotional yesterday, Sister Gimenez told us that now is really when the best part starts for General Conference. Are we going to apply what we have learned?

The church is true, the work goes on, and God speaks to us today!

Elder Brooks

PS - He got to go to Salt and Straw today!  It's an ice cream place we love with really good vegan flavors.  He got Salted Malted Cookie Dough.

Notes from our video call:

The members fed them very well for conference weekend.  They watched the Saturday afternoon session with some youth from their ward at a member's pool house.  On Sunday morning, a family made gluten free dairy free waffles for him.

All of the missionaries in their mission that were not endowed went to the temple this week.  Most of the parents were able to come to San Diego to attend with their sons and daughters.

Christopher Waddell, who is in the Presiding Bishopric and spoke in conference, was a stake president in Del Mar.  The members there know him well.