Leaving San Ramon!

This has been a hard working week! We did 10 hours of service and we got an early phone call for transfers!

On Monday we helped an older man named Allen, he was born in Germany and he asked us to help him do some things around his garden. We used some sheers to cut some bushes and then we were asked to clear a ton of branches from some trees. Allen let us use this cool tool which has a super amazing sharp blade on the end! It was a lot of fun! 

My companion in the garbage

We went back a few more times this past week. One of the days we were asked to mow his lawn. As elder Flinders pulled the rope to get it started the rope came right off! So we asked Brother Stoddard, our ward mission leader, if we could use his. Luckily he let us.

We got new carpet in the church this week so we had to move our district meeting elsewhere. We decided to do it in the evening in a park! It was fun! Elder Hoole and his companion elder Bybee made a rap about the Plan of Happiness, unfortunate I wasn't able to upload the video. We started exchanges afterwards.  It was fun going back on bike for a day after nearly 12 weeks of being in a car.

Tina was taught during the exchange so I missed the lesson. My companion updated me about how the lesson went. It went well. Something that she said is that no matter how the members are in the ward that she still knows it is the true church. I thought about that and it is so true. Why do we go to church, is it because of the people or is it because we want to worship God?

New Carpet in the Church

What is happening for transfers? We got an early phone call directly from president. It was on Thursday morning during personal study! We both got a heart attack when the phone rang because we have a special ring tone for the mission president. He asked me if I would accept an assignment to train a new missionary. He asked me to be obedient and diligent, I told him that sounds good to me. This means that I am whitewashing or also it is know as shotgunning because I will be new with my new missionary! 

District Meeting

There are about 15 new missionaries coming in, but some are sisters and others are in a language program. There are only 4 English missionaries coming in, so out of a ton of missionaries I was chosen to train! We don't find out who it is until all the new missionaries and trainers are in the same room on Wed evening. It is going to be difficult but a  lot of fun! We had a new trainer meeting on Friday where I saw Elder Arp! He was one of my companions from the MTC! He will be a district leader in Danville which is where I have been on exchanges before. 

Oh yeah - I am going to Hayward 1st which is on the east side of the Bay, opposite San Francisco, just south of Alameda   It is going to be a bike and car area.

Our Bunk Bed

Even though that I will be missing Tina's baptism on Saturday, the Lord is always preparing people to hear the gospel. I got a phone call from the elders in Hayward 1st where I will be going, they said that a man walked into church on Sunday and he told them that he needs to be baptized! What a blessing! 

On Sunday Dean Despain who is going on a mission this week gave his farewell talk. After church an older man talked to me and said that I gave a great talk and that he enjoyd it. (Dean does look a bit like me) I felt so bad! haha.

I know that the Lord really does know us all. He loves us. I love this Gospel!

Love, Elder Kloosterboer