Referrals

This week was awesome! I feel so blessed to be here in Los Angeles, the Lord has big plans for the Persians, and I get a front row seat. We had interviews with President, and I left feeling reenergized and ready to bring back the Persians. 

I got a present from Elder Arguelles family

So we love referrals. It means someone in the mission found a Persian! So on Tuesday, we made a trip down to Torrance to visit a referral. When he wasn't home, we whipped out our fancy new ABP planner on our iPads and found a few other formers we could go visit. We bounced around Torrance for awhile, no one was home, the gate was locked, they didn't exist, etc. It was getting dark, we decided to check one more little more south. We drive down, park, couldn't find the address at first. We decided to walk past a group of apartment buildings until we found the address of the complex, buried behind trees and other buildings. But, no apartment number.. We turned around and found the mailbox, with a directory posted on the side, and Boom! We found the name we were looking for! We knocked the door and the wife came out, she was blown away that we spoke Farsi! Shirein was super cool and had told us that she had wanted to learn more about us for awhile! Her husband, Khosno, was initially introduced to the missionaries awhile back, but never went anywhere. But! Not this time! We are excited to meet Shirein, hopefully Khosno (who was working when we knocked) and their two kids in the next week! #Persianfamily 

Another cool experience with contacting referrals was on Thursday, we went out to find a referral in Santa Monica. He lives in a giant apartment building, front doors are locked. No phone number, so that's great. We tried to sneak in through the back, but LA is too smart and locks back doors too.. So we decided to contact a little around there. It was different, we usually contact on bigger streets, more people, more Persians, so the secluded street contacting was a bit different. Not even 5 minutes later we run into this lady Maryam! We told her believed in a prophet who had brought the Book of Mormon with him, she lit up and then was like "Ohh that's your temple? No way!" She committed to come to church, but sadly didn't come. Looks like we are gonna have to track her down. #Persianhunt

Saturday, we wanted to go check on Hamid, our baptismal date from November (He got a job in December, which was a blessing, but couldn't meet with us, and we never heard from him again..). We decided to walk, which didn't seem far on a map, but boy it was a trek! No luck there, but we were walking down through this neighborhood on the west side of the 405, which I'd never been to, and there's a lot of Persians over there! Who knew? We contacted a little, kept walking and we eventually made it to this secluded through street in some neighborhood, when we felt prompted to turn around. We turned and like 50 feet back on the right was this smaller apartment building, and there was a lady walking into the laundry room. We couldn't see her too well (didn't wanna be creepy and stalk her) so we just said "Salam!" She was Persian, and she flipped. Haha :) Her name was Sheeri and after we had talked for awhile she expressed some concerns in her life, not having purpose, not being happy, feeling like God was abandoning her. We talked with her, shared scriptures out of the BoM, luckily I could read, and shared our testimonies with her. She committed to come to church next week, and told us we could stop by next week on Saturday to remind her haha. #Persianlaundry

We had received a referral on Monday from some Sisters in the Valley (San Fernando Mission). We called him, invited Farid to church and he said he would be there on Sunday, shortest sweetest phone call ever. I'll admit I didn't think he was interested at all, just kinda saying yes, not meaning it. We called Saturday night, no response. We then got a text right before bed from him that said "I'll see you tomorrow at 9:00am". WHAT?!?! Church the next morning, no one came.. Little upset, President Weidman is in our ward and he came and sat next to us.. And we didn't have an investigator.. #yes

5 minutes in, we get a text "hey". I don't think I've flown off a church pew faster. We went outside, called Farid, found him and brought him in. We had an awesome testimony meeting, despite there being an actual fist fight on the stand (long story, after the mission kind of story haha). Some of our Persian members, Sam, Mehdi, and AR did a great job taking him in, after all there was a fight in church to talk about, haha. Farid is about 25, college student and loves Jesus! He killed it in participation points in Gospel Principles (اصول مژده) and wants to meet this week to learn more! 

Overall, great week! I love the mission! Have faith in the future! It's only as bright as your faith. There is a difference between authority and power, what is it? I'll let you figure it out. :) Do the little things, there is power in them :) Live worthy of your covenants (all of them, your missionary covenant) and be better than you were yesterday! Have an awesome week! I love you all!

ارشد اِكبرگ

Burger stop