Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Went to the Temple

No letter from Nikko this week.
So as much as these children of ours change when then go out, they still will never understand, until they are a parent,  the panick of a parent whom has not heard from their child.  I had the conversation with an employee of mine who reminded me that before email they waited for snail mail, which often came only every other month, and yes I feel grateful to get weekly emails.

So after Nikko's Pday came and went, I sent a few email that sounded more and more urgent.  Then I posted on his facebook page (Nikko is a facebook missionary, I'm sure you all know by now).  "What happened, are you ok, did your Pday get changed?"  Last night this is the reponse from my facebook post.  "Nah it's just we get to go to the Temple tomorrow so Temple days are Pdays!
Nice to know. Mabey that means I will hear from him tomorrow.  I will keep you all posted.

Jody (Nikko's mom)

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Fasting for Kimber

Sorry I don't have much time this week. But I couldn't email earlier because I had a training meeting for the I pads today that was SO long and president told us to email our parents whenever we get the chance today. So right now we are doing Facebook but I currently am flippin blocked from sending messages and friend requests because Ii've sent to many and I guess I've been reported as spam! what a shame.....I could have helped them towards their salvation instead they reported me as spam...hope they repent. hahaha. 

 Also I'm confused on the status of Derek's girl? Is she going to be okay? I thought she was doing good now? I see the stuff on FB so I thought she was doing good now? I pray for them every time I pray. In the mornings before my studies and when we leave and pretty much whenever I'm not with investigator. Even my companions do. My district heard of what was happening and this Sunday they all fasted with me for her and I guess one of our Elders was at branch presidents house and they heard of it as well and it really touched me that they as well fasted and are praying for Derek's girl. Several members have come up to me and told me that my family is in their prayers and I don't know how they even found out but I  felt very blessed. I hope and I will continue to pray for Derek and Tawni. Send my love their way.

This week not a whole lot happened we have done a lot of translation for our English class and it has been stressful but I 'm staying positive about finishing it because I know it can help turn this program around. I set up a meeting with President and the District leader of the Viet Elders (By the way I'm super tight with the Viet and Chinese Elders. We are all super close and I get sad when any of them leave haha) anyways this Friday I'm meeting with President and their District leader (Elder Anderson-also I know his family I went to school with his cousins and am super tight with his family haha) but the Viet Elders already have an amazing program going for them. About 3 years ago they were the lowest baptizing program at 0 per year.  President at that time met with the 2 Viet Elders who by the way were white and told them I don't know how you're going to do it but start an English class. Currently they have an English class that is ran like a business and last year had 10 baptisms 7 from english/citizenship class. 

Our book is expected to be done this week and we will have it published and copyrighted and I think we will sell them for $6 (We will sell them for however much they cost to make) but I will send one home for you guys to see whats been accomplished! :) I'm super stoked to see that my plans are coming together and faster than I expected. I have a vision for this program to go from the lowest baptizing district in the mission to not just one of the highest language programs and not only one of the highest in the missions but one of the highests in all of Cali.  I'm super blessed to have a district that backs me up and helps whenever needed and a mission president who has bended his back backwards for me.
Anyways I'll let you know how the meeting goes! I love you mama! :) You're the prettiest lady ever  to walk this earth and God truly blessed me to give me a strong mom to deal with a brat son haha.
Love your ONLY AND SUPER FLIPPIN AWESOME AND SUPER HUMBLE son Elder Meza

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Working on a new area

This week has been awesome! I've been talking to you a bit about how I suggested to President about opening a new area. I had gotten all the Korean district together and we discussed where we could go and what would be the best place. So after serving in the North (currently located in Anaheim) I realized how much time we waste traveling in that area because the north area only works in Fullerton because it's pure Koreans and it takes about 30-45 minutes to get to depending on what time of the day. Well this week  I was able to get the korean district to meet with president to disucss opening a new area and to relocate the north. I conducted the meeting and presented why moving the north would be good. He did agree with that and then I presented a request to open a new area that we would call "West" so instead of North, Central and South we will have north, east west, south. Central's house and south  will just stay where they are and central will now be called east. Part of the problem is central's area is to big. Idk if you know a lot about orange county and the geography of it. But central currently covers cypress hawaiin gardens to hunington beach all the way up to yorba linda haha. So the far west side of orange county and the far east side of long beach will be the new west area. And there is only one avaible house in far west garden grove and I guess it used to have missionaries but its super ghetto and the area is kinda rough so they took those missionaries out but I found out that those same apartments is where 2 inactive and a 1 less active families live and they will only let missionaries visit and the the less active family used to be one of our strongest families and he used to be our elders qourm teacher so I really want to bring them back. Our housing coordinator really doesn't want to put us there but I begged to have us live there because its the only place to make the new area work and run well, and so he said if  I get to open up the new area we can do it haha. So something cool to note is I'm the first missionary to talk president into opening a new area and picking where current ones go!
Also I have an amazing plan to open and start a huge english class with classes of 40 people at the church and we will also do a citizenship class. I'm almost done translating the materials we would use and we just finished the citizenship book I'll tell you more about it next week. I plan to get everything for citizenship class finished by the 15th and we even might get funds to get us a projector and 2 laptops. Also I met a lady who  runs all the newspapers in Orange and she's good friends with the lady who runs the Korean newpaper so she is letting us put adds in the Newspaper and I hear a buisness is going to call us soon and might donate and do a story on us so I'm super excited I'll let you know how it goes!
Thank you mom I love you!
Love Elder Meza

Monday, February 24, 2014

Facebook is an effective finding tool!

My week has been really good but extremely busy. I've had a ton of meetings for the IPads and a lot of training sessions to get the last few groups of missionaries who don't have them to be on them. We had zone conference this week and it was really good I was asked on to speak on how we can make FB an effective
finding tool. And a lot of the missionaries are having a big problem adjusting to the ipads and FB because they're just old fashioned but thats okay so far I'm loving it! I've been able to see a lot of success from both things. Especially FB, last week we tracted so much and had not jack sqaut for results and then in like 2 hours of Facebook we had gotten 4 new investigators haha. I've tried a ton of different methods on FB and my district makes fun of me because of all the weird stuff I do to try and get peoples attention long enough to share about the restoration. But a wise man once told me this regarding missionary work "If it's not illegal try it out!" haha and ever since then I'm always trying different things but because of it I've been able to teach a lot of korean people lately. This week we have a meeting with President to discuss opening a new area and I might get to go lead that area I'm super excited but kinda sad at the same time because I'm super close with a couple of our investigators here and I will miss them :/ But also I translated the citizenship packet so its in english and korean now and this week we are going to start having a citizenship class down in Irvine and I'm super stoked. A lot of people have already said they would love to come to that so I'll let you know how that goes
I can't believe Dallin is already home that is so crazy! Time goes by so fast. It makes me sad knowing I've already been out for 8 months. I already asked president if I can extend a transfer and if he said if it was up to him he'd love for me to stay but it's not up to him since he will be leaving soon which also makes me kind of sad. He's such an amazing guy who has helped me out so much!

Tell the family thank you for everything they do and that I really appreciate everything!  And that Ii love them all.

 Thanks for everything mom I love you!
Love Elder Meza

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

A new area?

This week has been just a very typical week.  One
cool thing though is our recent convert is making SO much progress. At
first she didn't even want to come to our Korean branch and she now
she comes to all activites and atteneds church, she even called us
yesterday and asked about modesty and what she can do to be better.
Its so awesome I can see her serving a mission and being an amazing
missionary! Also I 'vv been praying a ton on what to do to find
Korean people to teach because the work is super poopy when it comes
to tracting in the south. Everyone here in Irvine is flippin
Chinese!!! So I was praying and I felt that I should go look at our
areas and see who covers what area and see why we weren't having success. It then
hit me, it's because our location isn't very good. The north team lives
in Anaheim but has to drive 35 min north everyday to go tract in
Fullerton and La mirada because in Anaheim its just Mexicans. Also
Central has messed up boundaries haha so I suggested to pres. that now
we have enough elders that we could open a new area and move the
norths apartment and he think that would be a good idea as well haha.
So this saturday I'm meetting with him to discuss where we should and
what we will do with companions and he's asked me to open the area so
I'm super stoked! The other new area will be actually in the Long
Beach Mission but it will cover Cerritos Hawaaiin Gardens and Fountian
Valley and Hunigton Beach! so I'm pretty excited.

This upcoming week we have zone confrence and I have been asked along
with another one of the tech elder so speak on staying focused on FB
and keeping to our purpose and then I get to talk a little about Nate.
FB is so weird I hate tracting on it but yesterday I had 3 other
lesson and got a new english class student so I can't complain to much
haha. Anyways I'm about to drag my district to zone activity and
literally drag them hahah  these Korean's hate sports but ill teach em
:)
Love you mom
Love Elder Meza