TEARING IT UP IN EAST SACRAMENTO

Letter from 4/28/2014
Dear Mom,

My new companion is Elder Mata. He and I were very tight back in the Elk Grove Zone. When I got the call that I was going to be with him I was just PUMPED UP! He called me briefly after I got my call and was all, "CHICO! I can't believe you're gonna be my companion." So, needless to say, we get along great. He is from Mexico. Grew up in East LA and is such a pretty boy. He takes, like, 40 minutes doing his hair that just gets messed up when we go biking anyway, but to him it makes a difference. It's also his last transfer in the mission so I will be killing him off (a term which means I am his last companion). 

 

The area is exploding and we have a lot of work to do. Elder Mata is a lot of fun and we have been finding a LOT of people. We have a teaching pool of almost 25. We have been working non-stop. I have not been this busy since Folsom. The members here are extremely supportive and our ward leadership is all die-hard about missionary work. We had 7 member-present lessons this week (that's an off-week here). We have two beautiful families that we are focusing on, las familias Bareto y Delgado. 

 

The Bareto family has 6 kids, each one wants to be baptized, and we play soccer with them every chance we get. They always want us to come over and the youngest one, Daniel (cute kid), is always asking why we can't spend the night. They are great. The Father is a member, but his wife isn't. She is interested, but obviously has a few doubts. Keep her in your prayers. She is a wonderful lady-- Never lets us bike home and calls us daily to make sure we have eaten, haha. 

 

The Delgado Family is a family of 6. All of them want to get baptized and they actually all have a date for June 1st. SO EXCITED!! We are going to invite them on a temple tour on Tuesday. Mata and I have been tearing East Sac up! 

Anyway, East Sac is the best, I'm in love with the ward and my Spanish is coming along great because Mata's Spanish is better than his English so we go back and forth a lot (lot of Spanglish). I love you Mom. I will ttyl.

Elder Sierra

p.s. two more weeks until Mother's Day!

 

A DOG IN THE MISSION AND ELECTRIC CARS!

Dear Mom,

I have a baptism that I am going to tomorrow. Linda Reynolds (the Italian aunt I always wanted) is getting baptized. SO EXCITED!!! I have been seeing quite a few miracles happening here. I am excited for transfers and also, I am just tearing it up in my area. I taught 20 lessons last week, have 4 people with a date for baptism and we are just following the Spirit and doing the work. Honestly, I have never felt better. Gonna just keep doing what I do. It even says in the white handbook that all I need is the Lord and my companion. No one else. We got this!!! I love you mom. I don't even worry about anything back home. The Lord has reassured me time and time again that everything will be just fine. As long as I put my heart in the work, I know you will all be alright. That's all I have for now. Anyway Mom, I love you and my time is coming to an end. I've gotta go to an appointment now.

I love you from the West Coast to the East Coast and back to Utah.

Hasta Luego,

Elder Sierra

 

P.S. I have been taking your advice for Spanish study and it's been working. I think I just need to start increasing my vocabulary now, that's all (plus some grammar).

We have a dog in our apartment! Just in the mornings, haha. He is the mission pet! lol

 

An electric-powered car. I drove a WUSSY vehicle! hahaha

 

All the Spanish missionaries in our mission at our Spanish Conference. I'm somewhere near the top.

 TRYING TO FIND AN INVESTIGATOR LIKE MOM!

 Letter from April 7, 2014

 Hey Mom,

Work is picking up and we are gathering a bigger teaching pool. We have been averaging about 18 lessons a week and we are totally blowing up in the area right now. My goal is to leave behind a lot of good things to work with before I leave because I have been here for almost 6 months and it's kind of a given that I will be getting transferred after this. So, before I leave, I want to leave behind a teaching pool so that my companion and whoever comes here will have a lot to work with. I don't want them to have to suffer and push to find people to teach like I did. 

Ezekial is progressing pretty slowly. It's been hard to get a sit-down appointment with him. In my opinion, you're either interested or you're not. Ughhhh.....after missing 4 appointments, not including [General] Conference... I've dropped investigators for less. This is an urgent gospel. My zl's think I should've dropped him a LONG time ago. I'M STILL TRYING TO FIND ONE LIKE YOU, MOM!! [Elder Sierra's mom was baptized 10 days after meeting the missionaries.]

I am happy to hear Benjamin is doing quite a lot and being proactive... I can't wait to see him perform when I get home. It'll be interesting; for once, I get to sit in the audience and just observe.  Love you!

Elder Sierra

JUST PICTURES

Eating Peruvian Tacu Tacu at a member's home

Last month with Hermana Enciso and Elder Ruiz. She is my 'abuela' here in the mission.

Elder Russell back in my first area.

Me and my bro, Elder Echanique at our zone conference. He's Ecuadorian but from Dubai!

These are all my companions still in the mission! We were at a recent zone conference together.

A former companion, Elder Stradling. He's already home.

P-day in Old Sacramento

Sunset on the Sacramento River

An older pic of me and Ricky in Old Sacramento

Me and Ricky in Old Sac

Elder Stradling and me last Fall in Folsom.

At our recent zone conference with Elder Russell, an old companion! Love this guy. Growing my hair out...I know you like my luscious curls, mom! haha

13 MONTHS ALREADY? IT SEEMS AS IF IT'S ALL A DREAM!

 

Dear Mom,

 

I heard from those that went to Conference that you looked great mom. They said the choir sounded beautiful. I have been singing quite a bit myself lately, not on as grand a stage as you, but in my lessons, in sacrament, family home evenings, and also for Spanish conference (a meeting for the Spanish missionaries). That was a lot of fun. The conference was the perfect revelation and instruction that we needed for our work. Usually, I don't get too much out of them. This time though, I was just getting a non-stop stream of inspiration throughout those few hours. 

I was very happy to also see my trainer, and all my other companions. I even got a picture with All of them. I really have loved every last one of those guys. They have become my brothers. It was crazy because all my comps have been comps with each other and also have known one another from home or have served around them, so we are all real close. It was cool exchanging stories and experiences together at the same table while we were eating. I saw my entire mission thus far pass before my eyes. It seems as if it's all a dream. I have been slowly losing my grasp on time. 13 months out on the mission and I can feel it all picking up speed. It's as if I am on a slippery slope and I am trying to run up the hill, but I just keep slipping. I will miss these moments. It all kinda hit me that I have been out for a while now when my trainer told me that the next transfer would be his last. I just paused for a sec and realized that he would be my first Spanish companion that would be going home. It's all down-hill from here. These wonderful companions I've had would begin to go home one by one, until I am the last one. Pretty sad isn't it? 

On a happier note, Ezekiel is loving the restored gospel. He is very humble and receptive and when I asked him if he believed what we were teaching is true he said, "All my life I had hoped that there was more that I could learn about God's love for his children. And this entire time that you have all been in my home I have felt a sincere burning in my chest. If that is not some sort of being or power telling me that this is the right path, then I don't know what is?" We were completely shocked by his answer and then gave him a date for April 26th to be baptized and he. of course. accepted. We are very excited for him. That is all the big news we have for today. Things have been picking up through small and simple means. Love you to death Mom.

Elder Sierra

THINGS ARE GETTING INTENSE THIS TRANSFER!

Dear Mom, 

Don't worry, I am not worried about not receiving the package yet. In fact, my new awesome companion and I have been too busy to even notice!! So, after I got to know the guy and to just give him the benefit of the doubt, I realized that he's cool. Pretty dang funny too and down to work. We have had a total of about 25 lessons/contacts and just received 16 referrals. We've got a lot of work to do. Things are gonna get intense this transfer. We have been tackling a lot of our problem with our branch head-on and are just taking things in our own way, but through the Lord's way. We get along great. 
Thanks, Mom, for the advice and the uplifting words. I will admit that I have been looking back quite a bit but things are looking up and I am moving forward. So don't worry Mom, I won't back down. Things have been going good so far and I will get back to you later. Love you very much.

Elder Sierra

GOTTA FIND AND DO TO MAKE LIFE AWESOME

Letter from 3/10/14

Hey Mom,

Calls came in yesterday and I have been called to stay here in West Sacramento again. Got to be honest, I am not excited for this transfer, especially since I just lost my bro Elder Ruiz. I'm gonna miss him a lot...practically my favorite companion. We had done a lot together here and now he's leaving to go and be a district leader out in ENGLISH work. He isn't excited for that either. So....it's gonna be an interesting transfer. But, that's all that is happening as far as mission life goes. The other elders and I are going to this bbq place today to lift our spirits and we are going to a member's place. He owns a laser tag center so the zone is gonna play there today. It'll be fun. 

The pic I sent to you was with Hermana Enciso. She is from Peru and is probably the best cook in all of Sacramento. We love their food and they have always been very good to me., always calling us to ask if we have a dinner and always trying to invite investigators for dinner when we come over. Needless to say, they are awesome. There isn't much to write about this week. I will try to find and do some things to make next week's letter awesome. Oh, and remember the guy that threatened to shoot me? Well, we passed him off to the English elders and.....he has a date to get baptized lol. Go figure right?

Elder Sierra
 

Hermana Enciso