This week was interesting and fun and amazing

This week was interesting and fun and amazing. Interesting started on Monday when we were going to the stake center and got mooned by a homeless man,  which is a pretty scary experience. But Tuesday made up for it with transfer meeting. I said goodbye to some friends who went home and then was surprised when Elder Nielsen didn't get transferred but I'm super happy he didn't. The best things that happened this week however came from prayer. We have been praying to find those prepared to hear the gospel as we always do and a couple weeks ago Cam's cousin Giorgio came to FHE and then church on Sunday without Cam even being there, he moved to San Francisco. We met with him on Wednesday, I think - the days all blur together now, and taught him the restoration. He liked it a lot and wants to keep learning more. Cam then told us on Saturday he was coming down for the weekend and would probably bring more family members to Sacrament meeting so "they can feel the Holy Ghost", his words exactly - this guy is a stud, during my personal study out of nowhere I had a prompting to pray that Cam and someone from his family would make it to church and then before companion study Elder Nielsen  prayed for the exact same thing. At church Giorgio ended up coming and so did Cam which was amazing because previously both of them said they might not make it.

As a new Zone we made a goal to pass out 249 copies of the Book of Mormon to people who would sincerely read it. That number is special because it is also the missions goal for baptisms this year. The math to that number breaks down to about 4 copies per companionship per week for the next six weeks. Elder Nielsen and I managed to give out one to Giorgio after our lesson with him so that was one. Then we were going contacting at some outlooks in a city called Dana Point and we said a prayer that we would be able to pass one out to contribute to the goal. As we were walking we saw a  girl who even was YSA age walking her dogs so we asked her if she has ever talked to missionaries and she said yes, the day before,  even to other missionaries in our district. She said she wanted to know more so we were able to give her a Book of Mormon which was an awesome answer to our prayer. On Saturday we had a window in the same place and we walked past a guy who said he wasn't interested but then when we walked past him again after he finished a beer he was totally willing to talk to us and told us about how he was the black sheep in his family and had done some crazy things but that he was trying to follow Jesus. The whole time he talked I wanted to give him a Book of Mormon and tell him about Alma and the Sons of Mosiah and how they were referred to as the vilest of sinners but through the Atonement became some of the greatest men ever, but we left without doing it and I felt awful. As we were praying to close our window I opened my eyes and saw him walking by our car so as soon as Nielsen said amen I ran out of the car and grabbed a Book of Mormon and ran over to him and started telling him about Alma and he told me to write what I was saying in a note to him so I wrote my testimony of the Atonement and the Book of Mormon on the front page and gave it to him.

So never doubt the power of prayer or the Atonement because Heavenly Father will always answer prayers said in faith and he will always give us a second chance when we mess up. I have seen that so much in peoples live here and have felt it in my own. I love being here acting as an instrument in the Lord's hand and helping bring his children to them and thinking about leaving even if it is two years away makes me sad. I love these people, they are SO good, and I need to be with them.

Love

Elder Cheever

Also, I finally ate sushi. Its not as gross as I always thought but given the choice I will take my food cooked

Some pictures

This guy is awesome. You can't read his name tag but it says Elder Madsen. It was funny to hear it at first but now Madsen doesn't even seem like my name

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This is my district, pre-transfer, when we were at the temple

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This one is slightly more normal of us. The short guy next to me is Elder Christensen and he's one of my favorite people here. My comp is the blonde guy next to the short Elder on the right

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This Week was Good

I don't have much time and I'm on my iPad so it's gonna be brief.

This week was good. Cam moved to San Fransisco but is still gonna get baptized here. He is so excited to get baptized and even got his cousin to start investigating, which is awesome, so we may start teaching him and maybe two more in the next week, which is great. I love doing this with all my heart. I love my Savior and my Father in Heaven. These people are good and I need to be with them.

Love Elder Cheever

Small and simple things

This week was kind of a lame week. It went by quick but not too much happened, it feels like, which I'm sure will happen plenty of times. We were able to set a baptismal date with Bobby, September 26th, so for right now we are trying to keep him focused on that even though we would like him to be baptized sooner because he is super ready and has a really strong testimony. When we meet with Cam tomorrow we are going to try to get him to commit to a date too and I think he will and then as long as he continues keeping the Word of Wisdom he will be able to be baptized! When we asked Omar if he would want to be baptized he even said, "yes", which was super awesome since the first time we asked him he said he didn't see the point. We have struggled with being able to meet with Jose Martinez because he has been super busy and has been a little upset about the last elders leaving but, get this, just right now as I was typing about Omar we saw him in the library where we are, which was super awesome and he told us he would try to meet with us this week! It's super cool to see how Heavenly Father works in little ways like that. On Saturday while we were doing some service with a bunch of other missionaries, Elder Gee (an elder in my district) and I had the chance to talk to a guy named Carlos. He had a thick Spanish accent and it was really hard to understand what he was saying, especially with the mariachi music in the background, but it sounded like he was looking for something else in his life and luckily enough he lives in the same apartment complex as some of the Spanish elders so I got his name and his apartment number and then told the Spanish elders about him so hopefully they are able to teach him. I love finding people even if I have to pass them on to other missionaries because we are all on the same team and we all love getting referrals. I had to give a talk this week and I still hate it just as much. I didn't know what to speak on and I was praying about it but during our zone training meeting we were looking up a scripture and I got distracted (as usual) and read Doctrine and Covenants 68:6 that says "Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come." Right then I realized that's what I should talk about. Supposedly it was good since lots of people in the ward said they liked it, even the ones who we don't usually talk to. So I guess this week is about , whether it be my investigators progressing, or getting to help out some other missionaries, or getting little bits of inspiration that help out. I know that all of us can do the same thing so don't ignore the little things that happen in your week, look back and see what little things have happened and how you have been blessed or how you have helped others through these little things.

I love this work, I love my Father in Heaven, I love my Savior Jesus Christ who, I can testify, is the Son of God and I know these people are good and I need to be with them.

Love,

Elder Cheever

Fear not little flock

This week was good. I got to leave the mission on Monday to go to Oceanside to help Elders Toland and Losee serve one of the Chaplains from on base. He was so thankful to have our help and he was a really great guy. We helped them move out another lady the other day and she said we were true men of God. I love serving people and seeing how happy it makes them and how thankful they are for it. On Saturday we got to go to dinner with Cam, his sister, a family friend of theirs and her daughter. They were all super thankful for the work we are doing even though they are Catholic but we had the chance to give Cam's family friend a copy of the Book of Mormon and she said she would read it and that she wishes she had sons who could do this and that we are angels so it felt really good to know that even nonmembers are so thankful for the work we are doing. The main focus of this week for me I think is overcoming fear. As you know I usually hate talking to people I don't know so I made a goal with Elder Christensen this week to get better at contacting and it has helped so much. I have talked to just about everybody I see on the streets. In three days I got like 70 contacts which was super awesome. And then today, while reading the Book of Mormon in Moroni 8:16, Mormon tells Moroni, "Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do" This was super cool to see because we need to not fear what man can do to us because we need to share the gospel with everybody and if we do so with Heavenly Father on our side he will protect us. So to go a long with that share the gospel, tell your friends, post on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, share conference talks or Mormon Messages. Its not hard and Heavenly Father will strengthen you against whatever the adversary has to throw at you, as my Mom's favorite scripture says "Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail." So fear not little flock

This work is so great and so much fun. I love working with all the missionaries here and finding people who are ready to hear the truth. I know this is God's restored church on the Earth today and that the Book of Mormon is true and that by reading it and praying for that confirmation anybody can come to know that truth too. These people are good and I need to be with them.

Love,

Elder Cheever

Little Miracles

This week was really quick. Jose Martinez, Jose Camargo, and Omar all ended up cancelling their appointments with us, which was disappointing, but Omar at least is keeping up his commitments and reading the Book of Mormon. We got to finally have a lesson with Cam and we had Elder Hook come down. Elder Hook was one of the missionaries who found him so I think that helped him. We taught him about the Word of Wisdom because its something he has had an issue with. He said he would try to keep it because he wants to get baptized but its a very social thing with his family since he is from Lebanon. It will be hard but I have faith that he will be blessed with the strength he needs. I got to go on an exchange with one of my zone leaders, which was really fun. He's a redneck from Utah so we listened to classic George Strait songs and  other wholesome country music, which was really fun. We did six hours straight of service, which was good because it was kind of a break from regular missionary work but was still doing good. 

This week we set what we call a window of Heaven, which is where we pray and ask to be guided where to go on what day and what time and we go to that place for an hour and talk to everybody we find there. When we got to the park there were no people so for a while we just walked around hoping to find somebody but then towards the end we saw a man sitting at a table so we went to talk to him. He had gotten out of the hospital three days earlier and then went home and got kicked out of his house by his parents because he was drunk and a drug addict. He told us a lot of what he has been dealing with and how he just wants to be a better person and to have his family want him. We were able to teach him about the Atonement and about God's love for us and we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and told him that by reading it he could find the happiness he was looking for. He doesn't have a phone or a car though so we can't really contact him but I know that Heavenly Father wanted us to find this man, Pablo, and to help him. I have faith that Heavenly Father will help him somewhere down the line. Right after this we tried to find a member in our ward but when we knocked on the door an older lady opened up and asked how we found her. We explained we had a list and just chose her apartment. She then said she had moved in only a week before and that the day before we found her a man installing her cable was Mormon and explained some about the Book of Mormon to her. We gave her a Book of Mormon and a Restoration pamphlet and then told her about how we are the restored church of Jesus Christ and she told us she would read them and learn more so we plan to tell the sister missionaries in that area about her because she is definitely somebody who has been prepared, which is something that Elder Nielsen and I pray for every day. 

So that's my message for this week is little miracles. We don't know where these contacts will go but they were boosts to us and sometimes that's what we need is little boosts to keep us moving.

I love it here and I love being a servant of the Lord. These people are good and I need to be with them.

Love,

Elder Cheever

Feel the Prayers

This week was really good. Monday and P-Day was fun, our zone just hung out at the stake center and played volleyball or basketball and just relaxed. Later in the evening we got to go to the ward's FHE and we had ice cream right by the beach and I got some cool sunset pictures over the peninsula. This week was kinda crazy with meeting investigators. On Tuesday, Jose M had to cancel on us because his friend's cat was dying, then on Wednesday Jose C had to cancel on us too, which stunk. On Thursday, we got to talk to Omar about faith. He hadn't been reading the Book of Mormon so we committed him to do that again and gave him some good chapters to read and told him to make sure to pray to know the book's truth and he seemed excited to do this. On Friday, we met with Bobby and figured out where he was in relation to baptism. He is so ready, we showed him a Mormon message form Elder Anderson that says you know enough then we challenged him to pick a day and pray about that specific day. He should be baptized in early August so he's almost there. On Sunday, we finally got to meet Cam. He's really close too except we still need to teach him the commandments, especially the Word of Wisdom, but he really wants to be baptized.

On Wednesday, I got to go to a new missionary dinner at President Orgill's house. Sister Orgill is an amazing cook and real food was great for a change. It was so awesome to see all my brothers from the MTC and be able to catch up and share stories from the first week in the field. They are all doing so great. After dinner President shared a story from his mission that was really cool. He served in Tonga and at that time they were allowed to go in the ocean so he was surfing on a log with his companion but then his companion went to shore (can you see the first problem) President then tried to get farther out to catch bigger waves and ended up getting pulled into a rip current. He jumped off the log thinking it would be better on his own and just got pulled farther out. He said that he started running out of energy and so he prayed that his mission president (the same mission president from "The Other Side of Heaven") would know how to tell his family that he had died and immediately he had a feeling that said, "wrong prayer". He was then guided what to pray for and began to get inspiration how to get to safety. He had been carried over a reef and when the waves would pull back he would catch them but then get slammed into the reef and was badly cut up but the second time it happened he realized he needed to grab the reef. Through doing that and kicking off of it he was able to eventually make it back to shore where his companion and the branch president and branch members were waiting for him. He said he was angry that nobody had tried to save him but they all told him lots of people had died in the same place and all they could do was pray that he would find a way. I love President Orgill a ton and it will be sad when he leaves next year. He has such a strong spirit about him and is a great leader.

This story really helped me to feel the prayers of all those who love me and helped me to know that when it gets hard out here I will have people on the "shore" praying that I can find a way as well. Prayer is a huge opportunity that we have been given by our Heavenly Father and we should use it all the time. He wants to hear from us even if its just little things like how our day went. We can also always ask him for help and anything we might need and he promises us he'll answer (just don't ask dumb questions like when Joseph Smith asked when the second coming would be since the Father will answer even if it is with an answer like "if you live to your 80th birthday you'll see Christ come again" even though both God and Joseph knew he wouldn't make it to that point;))

I finished the book of Alma today and can now say that it is my favorite book in the Book of Mormon. The examples of missionary work from Alma and Alma the younger and Ammon the other Sons of Mosiah are so poignant and powerful. They're testimonies are so great and they love the Lord with all their hearts. Captain Moroni's faith is unmatched and I hope I can live my life like him that the very foundation of hell can be shaken just a little and I commit all of you to make that your goal to. And like the Stripling warriors I will not lose hope even in the darkest circumstances because I know that God will help us overcome our personal opposing armies of Lamanites, whatever they may be.

I love being here and serving God to bring his children back to him. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ and I can truly testify that they both live and love us all. I know that the scriptures are their words to us and that they want us to obey. These people are good and I need to be with them

Love,

Elder Cheever

I know through him all things are possible

The weather here is perfect and the people are rich! The stake president has an elevator in his house! I'm in a YSA ward and the ward mission leader lives right next to the Ritz-Carlton, right along the beach and supposedly has a plane in his house. I have seen so many Teslas, Mercedes, and BMWs here. And even a Lamborghini and a Ferrari and I'm not even in the rich part.

Tuesday was super long and I was pooped by the time we got to our apartment. I'm in the San Clemente area in the San Clemente YSA ward. I live in a bummy condo in a city called San Juan Capistrano but it's not too bad. My trainer, Elder Nielson, is pretty cool and he's helping me a lot

On Wednesday and Thursday we drove around the whole  area all day trying to talk to less active member but none of them were home. We got white washed so it's kinda hard figuring out what to do at first.

Those days killed me. I hated it so much and wanted to go home. I guess I got lucky in the MTC and wasn't homesick until I got here. Alma 17:10 really helped me though, in it I think Ammon asks for comfort and straight away the Lord says be comforted and I felt like that was meant for me. I also read this really great talk called "Becoming a Consecrated Missionary". It really changed my perspective and helped me a ton so I recommend reading it for anybody.

We have five investigators after getting whitewashed which is pretty cool. One, Jose, is really close to baptism he just needs to stop getting drunk and smoking weed. Another, Cam, was going to be baptized just for the past elders but now he keeps getting drunk so we need to work on that too (people are dumb but we still love them). We have a guy named Bobby who is super awesome. He has been around the church for like 20 years and loves it he just has a hard time committing but we'll get him baptized. He says that even when he isn't investigating he always helps the elders he sees. Another is a kid named Omar who is super cool. Elder Nielson and I actually picked him up and he understands us but isn't sure about baptism. He's a crazy good artist though. These last two are the most interesting. Their names are Jose and Manuel (Manny). Manny is a less active member and Jose is investigating but they both want to come to church, here's the plot twist though, THEY ARE MARRIED TO EACH OTHER. So at some point Jose is gonna have to be informed that if he wants to be baptized they will have to be divorced so that will be a great conversation. The work is great though and I know that the Lord and his atonement will help them all understand what they need to do.

I'll close with a passage from Alma 26. In it, Ammon is talking about their time with the Lamanites and Aaron calls him out for being boastful and Ammon gets mad and says "I don't boast of myself I boast of my God" (that was paraphrasing, read the chapter for more detail) but that's my goal now is to always boast in my God because I know through him all things are possible

This work is so great. Even if it's hard, I still love it

These people are good and I need to be with them.

Love,

Elder Cheever