Well, the title says it all. This transfers week has been MIND BLOWING to me! It was completely the unexpected and it changed everything i was preparing for. Everyone in our district was thrown off by our mission President. Anway let me get to the quick story of i all...

    Monday Night we got our phone calls of who was being transfered and who was being leaders and who was training and such. I did not get anything because as president had told me 3 times during the last two week as well as Sister Wall, we all knew that Elder Miles was going to come back and serve with me in the same area bringing a car for him because he could bike. So everyone already had this in mind and had that confirmed 3 times. Anyway we knew of those who were in our zone who were transferring and what not. The next day (Tuesday Night) we get a random phone call from Elder Miles himself! And he told us that President Wall had showed him the transfer board so he knew about everyone and everything that was going to happen. And Elder Miles likes to mess with us a lot so then he told us that he was not coming back to Kenner with me. So we were shocked and confused. But we did not really want to believe him since he messes around alot. Anyway, He gets our minds all lost and confused the night before transfers and we stayed up a long while trying to figure it all out and all the scenerios. Still i am thinking that Elder Miles is coming with me though. Next day comes and we get to transfers and one of the A.P Elders puts me with the newbees and trainers and i didn't think much of it since i am basically new as well... Long story short transfer meeting starts and President Wall calls Elder Miles to the Mandeville area training Elder Madsen which is across the lake of Kenner and then calls my name, releases me as a Zone Leader and calls on me to train Elder Page in the Kenner Spanish area! 

     

     I was completely shocked and overwhelmed by this call. I did not anticipated at all and idk how prepared i am truthfully i feel a bit shaky about it. Elder Page is from Utah who is big in wrestling. He knows very little spanish so we will have a good amount of things to work in. Now i really have to step and and be an example to him so that he may learn from me as well as i from him. I personally still am trying to settle in back in Kenner as you know i was going back in forth between Metairie and Kenner before this. So i have to remember all the bike routes and everything again. Well refresh my memory really. But i do ask for your prayers please that i may be able to take over this area with confidence and that i may feel relaxed as i train. I just got finished training last week so maybe that is why i feel like i am not completely ready for this but we will see what happens. I am in the Lord's errand and I know he is with me 24/7.

    This is a whole new adventure for me! Training for these 6 weeks and then we will see what happens. after. But my focus now is to help Elder Page with as much as i possibly can. So much to do and so much to try not to stress over. Ooooo man. Well hope your week is as surprising as mine!

Love you all!

~Elder Caiña

You be being alright?

     Well time for another weekly update! Working as a Zone leader never ends. It just keeps going and going and time flies by so fast that it is just not fair sometimes. In a way it is good, but really it is not. I seriously wish time went slower sometimes just so we can get everything done in time and still have time to do some personal stuff like Journal writing and such. It has been a load of work every day but nothing we can't handle.

    As you all know it was Labor Day this Monday so that is why i did not write to ya'll. And we didn't have time to go yesterday to the library because we walked everywhere yesterday and for part of today as well. But now we finally made a walk here, so it is sorta a preparation day today. 

    Not much has happened in the last few days. Sad news first, one of our best investigators, Abraham is moving to Houston Texas because he has a job over there! He was seriously perfectly ready to be baptized! We were really sad to hear the news but he said he still wanted to be taught so we will be finding the missionaries in Houston to go over and teach him once he settles in. We are happy for him and we are going to be staying in touch!

     Last week we had a ward BBQ for just about the entire night. And the Elders ended up cooking all the food. I do not think they heard of how well missionaries cooking is? But thankfully everything went well. On the same night we went to visit and investigator who had stop going to church. After many nights of trying to contact him, he finally was home that night. As we taught a strong lesson of faith without works is dead. He came out with his struggles. He told us a few things that he needed to get back to doing as well as attending church. And on Sunday he showed up with his mom and his family and it was a beautiful thing to see! He should be getting baptized soon because he said he wanted to do it when his mom was here. And now that she is, we will see what happens in the next week or two. 

    Also this Sunday the church was filled up more than usual! And we knew why. we saw 3 less active families from my area (Kenner) show up. And not only that  but less actives from the other missionaries areas as well! We were SOO HAPPY that day and personally for me i was filled with joy and it is just and exciting thing to see. Knowing that one's hard work is paying of and that families are coming to renew their covenants knowing that they will also receive many blessings. I am really hoping that we see them more often in the future. The work is progressing here again in the New Orleans 2nd ward. But we just have to be patient and persistent. Slowly but surely we are moving along. Since i got here for the first month we had about 130 in the ward. now we are seeing more around 160 or 170. The work is beautiful!

    That is the biggest thing i learned this week, that perservierance and patience are VERY effective! We can't quit because we never know when someone will randomly change or do something to make them progress with the gospel or with life. We just have to keep helping. The Lord has his time, so endure to the end!

    As my wonderful friend who is in the San Diego California Mission told me about patience in the scriptures. Hebrews 6:9-15! 

    Well hope ya'll enjoy the rest of your week! 

Love ya'll,

~Elder Caiña

2nd transfer

How ya'll doing!?

As you all know we have all started our 2nd transfer! I will be staying in Kenner with the same companion! And with a new District, somewhat. A companionship was taken out and a new companionship was put in whom we get along with a bit better. We are all happy to say that we have one of the Best Districts right now. Although we have lost some we have received other great Elders who are just great to be around! 

    So far this week have been amazing! I am just continuing to love the work of the Lord and the many mighty miracles he gives us through our obedience! I know Elder Miles and I have not been Perfect but we are striving to do better everyday! And because we have been putting such great effort i know the Lord has blessed us. This week we have gotten 2 new investigators! Abraham who came to the activity 2 Saturday's ago has been really interested in the gospel! He has started reading the Book of Mormon already after one lesson and he went to Basketball on Wednesday with us! We are very excited to see him progress! And another great thing with him is that when we went to teach him, we found a less active member at his house who had been lost! And he was not able to attend church because of ride issues. He was very happy when he saw us and when we thought him and Abraham on tuesday night he shared his testimony with us which was so strong that it completely filled the room. And through that we know that it gave Abraham a desire to know more about it! We have built a strong friendship with him already and it has been great thus far!

     Also this week, a guy that we met a Sam's club while he was working awhile ago called us up and asked if he could come play basketball with us. His name is Chris and he had an injured shoulder so he did not really go there to play basketball. He just wanted to be there and chill with us! He said that he told her girlfriend that he was hanging out with us instead of her! haha we thought that was funny. So Elder Miles and i got to know him that night and started a good friendship with him. He has been wanting to go to church with us but since he lives further in New Orleans it is a bit of a distance. He seemed interested in knowing about our church which was awsome! Only thing is that he is not in our area and he is not spanish speaking. So we wouldn't teach him, but mayb we will. Who knows?

    Last miracle of the week was while we where eating lunch at the mall. A worker from one of the stores called us over. We thought he wanted to sell us phones, but instead he was curious about us. He said he always saw us walking around and he could always tell there was something different about us. He said he knew about us because friends of his told him we where missionaries. And he wanted to ask us if we could contact missionaries and give him the church address in Baton Rouge so that he could attend with his family, He said he was a Baptist who had just lost his faith. He said that he stopped believing he has seen his life not progressing. He told us he was looking for a change for him and his family and he wanted to gain his faith in the Lord again and asked if we could help him do that. As we ended our conversation i bore my testimony to him and he was thankful. We gave him advice to ask his friends who were mormons to help him receive those lessons that we know could help him. His desire to regain his faith overwhelmed me and filled me with joy, It has been one of the Best experiences yet. 

    I know i have many more experiences ahead of me but i will value every single one of them. Best thing is that this all came because of my obedience and it just pushes me to try harder each and everyday! Obedience is a process, not and event!

    I am thankful for the many opportunities the Lord gives me! He has blessed me so much. And i know we can ALL be blessed as he choose to obey his commandments! 

     Thank you all for the love and prayers! Hope you have a blessed week! 

~Elder Caina

Hello Everyone!?

 

     How ya'll makin' out!? Alright.

  

     Been using those two phrases a lot this week. Works so well when greeting people! Well I hope everyone is having a great week! I have had a wonderful week! 

 

     We just had a acting play of the Book of Mormon! Last week we spent alot of time setting up for it and it wen wonderful! I was all planned out by the missionaries and the missionaries did all the acting of different stories in the Book of Mormon. The point was for get people in a mood to know more and receive a desire to read from the Book of Mormon. I was Laman and we got to dress up a bit for the play. Last saturday we had a great performance and i would say that it was very effective. From our area we met a new guy, his name was Abraham and we will be seeing him tonight for the first time to get to know him more. I have pictures of the play so i will be sending those.

     Also  have told ya'll about the power of the scriptures! I am sooo grateful to have the 1 hour of personal study every morning. I seriously hated reading before my mission. I did not want to read what so ever! And now i can not stop! I seriously strongly dislike how we ONLY have One hour for that study. I have gained so much knowledge from the Book of Mormon! Right now i am in the process of reading the Book of Mormon in 60 days. It is a good paste for me to read and get as much from it as possible. The Book is so incredibly good with so much truthfulness and beauty! I do not know how i did not have such a strong desire as i do now to read it. This have been changing me so much through my mission so far but in the BEST way possible. I was just reviewing today the things that i read in Mosiah and remembered of a very strong scripture. I would invite you all to read Mosiah Ch. 26 Verses 18-29.

Well I got to go because i got Elders down my neck telling me to hurry up! It is okay, they are working on patience this month. 

I Love you all! Hope everything is going well and Ill send the pictures later on of the Play! Have a blessed week! 

~Elder Caina

Finally in Louisiana

Louisiana if Amaazing! But i know already that i will have a really tough mission. The weather here is PRETTY HOT! the worst part is that this humidity make you sweat rivers! Like seriously.Literally you could go outside and try to pick up a penny and you will already start to sweat! When we ride our bikes my companion (Elder Miles) and I have a shower in our own sweat everytime we ride. It is tough too because sweat gets in your eyes too and it something i have never experienced.It is not HORRIBLE heat like in Utah the Humidity helps but it is just weird for me. Also, this place is GREEN GREEN GREEN!!! I flew over Louisiana and it is just like 90% green! It is soo beautiful! Nature is gorgeous and i wish it was like this worldwide. But o well... Elder Miles, my first companion is my trainer. This is actually his first time training so i am his first trainee. He is very cool though we have a good amount of similarities he is just overall chill. I have already met about many people here and have already thought 5 lessons in 3 days! I prepared one of them for the Madrids family and it went smoothly and we could really feel the spirit in their home. Our work in this area is mainly focused on less active members not really on investigators. because so many people are members but they just do no attend church. I am hoping that i can at least bring a few people back in so they can receive the blessings that are in stored for them. We have a few investigators but most of them have weird excuses for being baptized.  Please pray for them so that it happens soon!  Most people here  are from Honduras and many african americans. But  all the people i have met are super nice and friendly.Yesterday we got a massage! hahahaha My first an investigator does that for the missionaries because he is so thankful that we take the time to go an teach him. He is really cool! it was a machine. 

 

Love,

Elder Linville

 I was at the worldwide broadcast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It serioiusly was the MOST AMAZING thing i have ever done or been to! I was able to see i believe 11 of the 12 Apostles in PERSON! I was less than 30 yards away from them and let me tell you, they are full of the spirit! As they walked in my room my friend sitting next to me and i started feeling out of breath but in a good way and we will filled with the spirit it was incredibly overwhelming! It was really exciting for me and may i tell you, they REALLY DO RADIATED with the spirit tremendously! I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to attend that meeting along with so many other future missionaries. We were sad not to have been able to see the Prophet in person but we got to hear from him and that meant tons! The words they spoke touch my heart and really got me prepared for this first week out on my mission and as i get ready for Fast sunday this coming weekend. Yes Sister Pennock was in the Choir which is whom they showed most of the time. They didnt really show the crowd much but i was to the right of all the speakers. It was a true blessing to be able to see Elder Hollad, Elder Perry, Elder Bednar, and the others! 
I just want to let you know mom  that my camera broke. So i cannot and will not be taking pictures for the next few days. i wont have any pictures of my first few days in Louisiana, i am very sad!  If it is possible could you PLEASE send me one!? i know it is alot to ask but i only get my mission once and it is going to be WAY TOO HARD to go through this and not have any memories. Also i have less than 20 hours till i depart! O MY WORD! TOO STOKED! This morning i was able to say goodbye to like have of my district and a close friend i was able to make during my time here. Her name is Sister Ross! She is super cool and so into the Lord's work! She is going to the Chicago Mission! 3 of those who left are going to the New York, New York South Mission and my companion is on his way to Tusan, Arizona!

     Well I have to go but blessings for you all! To the ward, your prayers are being felt! As well as your love and support! I am so thankful for everyone's help to prepare me for this huge opportunity of my mission. Couldn't ask for a better ward! I am Blessed!.

Love Always,

                   Elder Caina

 

There are tons of people here! And i have been able to see Sister Pennock and also like 12 people that i have met in BYU! It has been amazing! My District that i have is BEAUTIFUL! Most of them are hispanic since we are in the advanced class but there are also 3 american who are way better than me at spanish! haha but o well. It has been a great time with them being able to learn from them. They are all soo loving and fun and we have already become a family! We love each other and help each other as much as possible whenever we can. They all radiate with the spirit every day and i feel so comfortable around them. This whole place is full of the gospel and the spirit and so many strong youth i look up to. There are so many people here but it overall it really is not as crowded as i imagined we all still have time for the shower and getting ready on time. There is people everywhere but there is alot of space from everyone, part of it is probably because they open a new campus on the west side but idk.      I hope Paola and Jared know how thankful i really am for their help. I love them tremendously and the trip to their parents and temple square was such a blessing and one of the best ways to get me ready to enter the MTC. I have picture that i want everyone to see but idk how to upload them yet but ill do that as fast as possible and when i get the chance.      Glad to know that my bike stuff is there. My mission call papers might be in the big box somewhere i cannot really recall sorry...  I went to the Provo temple today and took pictures after it is sooo beautiful inside although small!...    ... I love you all and i am very thankful for the help of everyone in the church! I am so blessed to be here in the MTC with such loving people! I am learning so much 24/7. I am happy to say that i am growing in every way and most importanly growing in knowledge of the lord and his gospel. The lords work is true and a blessing and i am soo thankful to be part of it! ...     Love, Elder Caina