Week 49: Elder Dube!

Last week our mission had the  opportunity to have Elder Dube come and take a tour of our mission! On Friday all the missionaries in the high desert met in Victorville and we got to learn from and talk to Elder Dube! I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from Elder Dube, what a great experience it was. It is neat to be able to learn from a humble man like him, but also to be able to learn from, and by, the Holy Ghost.

Elder Wedel and I had a member-present lesson with two young women during the week. The Spirit was really strong during that meeting and they really enjoyed it. We've been staying really busy serving members in the area. We even helped a nonmember family move out of their home, and they were very appreciative of our assistance. The service we have given varies far and wide this transfer. We've done yard work, constructed a hair salon, moved people in and out of their homes, moved firewood, built fences, and most recently this last week, dug up VERY large boulders in a horse corral (we had to dig around the boulders, then Elder Wedel used a skidsteer to lift them out of the ground). Serving here in Phelan and Oak Hills has taught me to have patience (more than I thought I had haha) with those we are working with. Fellowshipping others to the gospel and into the Church can be a slow process, but when we truly love and care for those people, it becomes easier to us to fellowship them.   

On Sunday we had a cool experience. We were driving to our dinner appointment when we passed a man that was pulled over on the side of the road, trying to fix something with his engine. We continued to drive along the road, and instantly I received a prompting to turn around and see if this man needed help. We still drove on as I contemplated the prompting, then I finally asked Elder Wedel if we should turn around, and he said sure, so we turned around and pulled over to see if we could help this man. He was grateful that we came to help him. Elder Wedel was quick to relate to him by talking about cars and mechanics and stuff, and pretty soon he asked this man about his religious background. The man said that he has a lot of trials and it is hard for him to believe in God. Elder Wedel bore a simple but firm testimony about Jesus Christ; it was a neat experience. Soon after, the man was able to get his truck started, and after saying goodbye and going our separate ways, I asked Elder Wedel if we could offer a prayer of gratitude for that positive experience. I still feel so good and am so grateful that I acted on that prompting I received from the Holy Ghost. Our investigator came to church on Sunday, and she has some questions about temples that she got from the Relief Society lesson on Sunday, so Elder Wedel and I will prepare to teach her about temples and eternal marriage this Thursday. I am very excited to teach her and her family! I feel like I learn something new each week, if not every day; it is wonderful! God is good! Talk to y'all next week!

Elder Ruiz

Here is a picture of all the missionaries in the desert part of our mission, with Elder Dube.

Elder Wedel and I in front of the Redlands Temple after our temple trip 2 weeks ago.