Happiness is about wanting what you get

Even though walking everywhere is quiet tiring and can be a bit of a pain it has also been a great tool for finding. We are able to stop and talk to so many people and help them out in little ways and its been amazing to see just how many people out there have a little desire to learn more. In all of our walking and contacting and tracting this week we were able to give out 43 copies of the Book of Mormon and have 115 contacts. From all this we have picked up 7 new potentials who we have been able to share a lesson with and invite them to learn more or who we have been able to set up a time to come by and share a lesson with them. It is truly amazing to see how when we devote ourselves to finding those seeking truth, that our Heavenly Father will give us the opportunities we are looking for. We met one man named Salvador and at first we just said hi and kept walking but I felt like I should turn around and talk to him and when we did we ended up having a really good conversation with him. He told us that he sees missionaries around all the time and that he would like to learn more but that when ever he sees them they just walk right on past like we almost did so he was really glad that we stopped to talk to him, unfortunately he lives outside the mission and so far the Elders in his area still haven't gotten back to us so we haven't been able to get him in contact with them. Saturday morning we had a breakfast at President Silva's (the Newport Beach Stake President) house and had a good testimony meeting/devotional thing, which got us super motivated to go out and do something good so right after that we tried to stop by one of the people who said we could come by and before we left to do that I had prayed that we would have the opportunity to meet with our intended person or that, if we didn't get that chance, we would be able to find somebody we could teach and begin helping in their life. Unfortunately the lady we were trying to visit wasn't home but as we were leaving the neighborhood we were able to stop and talk to a man named Jazz and share the Restoration lesson with him. When we invited him to church he said he would definitely check it out because he has been praying to find a church in the area that speaks English and that has the whole truth so he doesn't get led away. It was so cool to see that in this one contact Heavenly Father answered both of our prayers and was able to start helping Jazz find the truth that he is looking for. Last night we met these two high school boys named Max and Joel and we were able to teach them the Restoration as well and they both said that if they were able to find out the truth of our message they would be baptized, which was super awesome.

We had a really good lesson with Gabriel this week as well. We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ through reading 3 Nephi 27 and explaining each part of it with him as well as teaching him about keeping the Sabbath day holy. We were able to commit him to baptism on January 30th but unfortunately he wasn't able to make it to church yesterday because he had to babysit his siblings while his mom went to her church so now we are going to have to set a new date with him. He has a hard life and it has greatly increased his faith but he still worries and after he prayed he started tearing up and talked about how it is hard to try to provide for his family now that his mom lost her job and to try to pay for his schooling, while he said this I had the biggest prompting to give him a blessing so we offered that to him and I could really see after wards that it helped him and that he felt better.

There is this guy in the ward named Dave Waldram who is hilarious, he is 63 so his level of political correctness is about the same as mine so we get along pretty well and he is also super knowledgeable when it comes to the gospel. On Sunday he got roped into teaching Gospel Principles and Sunday School on the fly but he did an amazing job. In one lesson he said "Happiness isn't about getting what you want, its about wanting what you get", which I think is so true. Sometimes what we want isn't always what's best for us and Heavenly Father knows that so He gives us what we really need and at first it might suck and not be any fun but the trick is to be thankful for not only our blessings but also our trials and as we do that we will be able to find the good that comes from the hard times and end up being glad that it happened. 

As of late, President Orgill has been sending us a lot of reminders about obedience and how important it is to be strictly obedient. This morning in my studies I read Helaman (yes the whole thing) and obedience is a huge underlying message of that book. Throughout it the people go up and down and up and down with their levels of obedience and they have drastic results, when they are obedient they are blessed hugely and are able to protect themselves against the Lamanites and then they are able to prosper and become wealthy which then leads them to slowly be less obedient and more prideful which opens cracks for Satan to sneak through and bring about wickedness like the Gadiantion Robbers (who ultimately prove to be the downfall of the entire Nephite people) which makes Helaman, and Nephi and Lehi have to go out and fight but also makes them have to teach the people. And then because of the people's wickedness Nephi laments for them and because of his personal obedience and worthiness he is promised great blessings and then is also able to teach the people and ultimately brings many of them to a remembrance of the Savior and what they need to do to be happy and then they make the changes they need to in their lives and they become prosperous again (after going through war and famine) but then they fall back into disobedience and evil and Samuel has to come yell at them and tell them to stop being stupid or they will be destroyed and they don't like that and then the Gadianton Robbers become even stronger and lots more people die and ultimately they all begin to forget how many times they have been helped by God. It just goes to show that when we are obedient and stick with whats good and right in our lives Heavenly Father wants to and will bless us with what we want and what we stand in need of and when we aren't He will punish us with a righteous judgement until we are humble again and get back to the straight and narrow. I know that this is true and I know that its just as important for us today, we might not have to worry about secret combinations and kings being killed but we do each have our own personal challenges and God will be with us as we listen to what He asks us to do. I love being out here helping people, I know that Jesus lives and that He is is our Savior and that as such He can strengthen us to be able to overcome what we are going through, I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that it was translated by the prophet Joseph Smith and that it shows the love God has for all of His children and shows that Christ's church has been restored to the earth. I love being a missionary and I know that the people here are good and that I need to be with them.

Love

Elder Cheever

Either cars don't like Elder Greenberg or God needs us to walk

Not very much happened this week until the last couple days and then it got a lot better.

It rained a little bit on Monday, a little more on Tuesday, and then on Wednesday it poured all day long (apparently it was some of the most rain that Southern California has gotten in the last like 20 years). Luckily on Wednesday, when the rain was the worst, we spent most of the morning in the mission office then in our district leader's car so we stayed a little bit dry. With all the rain and then the fourth earthquake in the last four weeks (this one was the biggest yet at a whopping 4.8) us missionaries are preparing for some crazy disaster of some sort which hopefully will bring a humbling and some miracles to the California Irvine Mission.

Thursday we were able to meet a guy named Ned, while we were out tracting, who told us that he really loves Mormon people because they helped him out a lot when he lived in San Diego, so we were able to get his phone number, so we could get in contact with him, so that if he needs anything we can help out. Then, when we contacted him, we told him that if he wants we can also meet up with him to teach him more about why it is us Mormons are such nice people and he responded super enthusiastically saying that he would love to learn more so hopefully as we keep in touch with him something amazing will happen.

Friday was by far the highlight of the week. We got to got to the temple again which was amazing as always. Being able to go the temple while on my mission has been a huge blessing and I'm so grateful that we have one so close by. While I was in the Celestial room I was able to read some scriptures that were the exact answers to my prayers and that have helped me push through the tougher times and I was also able to talk to one of my friends from the San Clemente YSA ward while she was working in there and she was able give me some good advice so that was super helpful too. After the temple we attempted to meet with a less active man in our ward who wants to start coming back to church but he didn't show up; as we were about to leave a car pulled up in front of us and one of the kids that got out was somebody we gave a copy of the Book of Mormon to a couple of weeks ago who wanted to learn more but he said he got a new phone so he took our number down again and said he wants to meet up with us so since we ran into him again we have high hopes that something will work out. When we started biking home from that we stopped at a park to contact and met a man and his son and we were able to have a good chat with the father and we found out that he wants his son to find a religion in his life so we gave his son a copy of the Book of Mormon and he told he would read it and his dad said that if Brandon, the son, wanted to learn more he would let us know. After that we hopped back on the bikes and continued home but we didn't make it far before Elder Greenberg cut in front somebody trying to leave a parking lot and he got hit, luckily he was again protected and the only damage was to the bike so we are back to just on our feet, which, let me tell you, isn't the most fun thing in the world, but maybe we are supposed to be walking everywhere for some greater purpose, or cars just really don't like Elder Greenberg, so far I'm not sure which one it is.

We didn't end up getting to meet with Gabriel this week because all the rain led to a lot of leaks on the projects he was doing at work so he was kept super busy roofing but he continues to read the Book of Mormon and hopefully we will be able to meet with him this week and set a baptismal date for him.

Despite the hard times and crazy weather we keep working hard and having faith and patience that everything will work out in the end and that things will pick up in our area and we will begin to see the results of our efforts as promised in Alma 32:42-43 "42. And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white,yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not,neither shall ye thirst. 

43. Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering,waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you."

I know that there are people out there being prepared by the Holy Ghost and I know that our Heavenly Father wants them to find the help each of them needs in their lives. I know that each one of them is good and I know that if its in God's plan for them and me I will be able to be with them and help them.

Love

Elder Cheever

At the temple

Eating the original bananas on Balboa Island (like in Arrested Development).

The mission car after the accident

South Coast Ward missionaries

Elders Neilsen, Toland, Losee and Cheever

Opening Christmas presents

You are not alone

Not too much happened here this week that was exciting. We knocked on a lot of doors and talked to a lot of people who weren't interested. We did get bikes though, which is a little better than walking but makes it awkward to stop and talk to people as we are going. I had a fun exchange with one of my district leaders, Elder Lovgren that was a big help to me. He has only been out a month more than me and was into a lot of the same stuff at home and now is even struggling with some of the same things that I am so we were able to have a good talk and help each other out. It's super weird that it is 2016 but I'm excited to see what the new year has in store for me, and now I can say I go home next year even if that's still far away. My message for this week is you are not alone, no matter how hard things might seem or how dark times may get in your life there is always somebody you can turn to. Heavenly Father is always waiting eagerly for you to ask for His help and all it takes is simply calling out to Him in faith through prayer. Not only is Father there waiting but our Savior Jesus Christ knows how each of us feels and can be the strength we need when our own fails and in addition to His help we have thousands of people on the other side of the veil watching over and protecting us because just as much as our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy, or family who has gone on before us wants the same and will do whatever might be in their power to assist us in our live. These people are good and I need to be with them.

Love 

Elder Cheever

Gabriel finally came to church

Not much happened Monday or Tuesday. Wednesday started a whole new round of excitement when we got into a car accident on the way to the Newport Beach Stake Center for a missionary surprise birthday. We got t-boned but luckily nobody was hurt, all that stinks is that we no longer have a car so now we have to walk everywhere but maybe because of that something miraculous will happen and we will come across a golden investigator or something like that.

Christmas eve was rough because contrary to the advice of the white handbook, holidays are not the best days to proselyte because people are with their families and don't want to be harassed by a couple of goofy looking kids wearing white shirts and ties. 

Being able to Skype home on Christmas was awesome, it was super good to see my family and talk with them. It made it feel a little bit like Christmas since the weather definitely doesn't feel like Christmas. We got to spend the morning at our Bishop's house and hang out with their kids and talk and play games with them which was a ton of fun. At night we got to have a zone activity and play games as missionaries and we had a white elephant gift exchange made up of the random stuff we all could find in our apartments which was pretty fun because missionaries leave behind quite the assortment of stuff. 

The best part about Sunday was that Gabriel finally came to church and liked it and said he is excited to come back! Our plan is to set a baptismal date with him for mid-January, which should go through and will be awesome.

Hopefully next week will be a lot better and we will be able to visit all of the potential investigators that we have and begin teaching them. I hope all of you had a great Christmas and that you will have a Happy New year. These people are good and I need to be with them.

Love

Elder Cheever

Christmas time as a missionary is totally different

We ended up doing a lot of service this week and visiting a lot of less actives and in between all that we managed to find a couple good potentials and continue working with our investigators who are slowly progressing, in some cases. I was also in my first California earthquake, it was only a 3.1 so it wasn't too exciting but now I can say I've been in one.

We had a really good lesson with a less active man in our ward named Jimmy. He got baptized a few years ago and had an amazing story. Prior to his baptism he was in a wheelchair and was blind so they had to carry him down into the font but after he got baptized he was able to walk out of the font and then the next day was able to see again. For a while he was able to walk again and was able to see and he started working towards getting the Aaronic priesthood but began having issues with the word of wisdom again and then tripped and broke his leg badly and after a series of events it had to be amputated so he was back in a wheelchair and then he went blind again when he stopped going to church. Sister La, one of the ladies in the ward who is coming back into activity set up a lesson for us with him and when we met we just talked with him about what he wants to do. He plans to start coming back to church and he wants us to go through all of the missionary lessons with him again. While we were talking with him a man walked by and then was standing against the wall of the building we were by and I felt like I should give him a copy of the Book of Mormon, at first I kind of brushed it off because I figured it was just me being a missionary and wanting to give everybody one (which isn't a bad thing I guess) and since we were in the middle of a lesson I didn't want to just leave. As I sat there I thought about it more and then remembered that Ross got baptized because somebody listened to a prompting to share the Book of Mormon so while Elder Greenberg and Sister La were talking I got up and went and talked to him. He seemed pretty cool and took the book and I was able to get his phone number so this week we are going to try to meet up with him and start teaching him. 

On Saturday we were contacting in a park and talked to a man named Misha right before we left. He was there with his son and he talked about how he has been following different religious practices to find the best life for his family so when we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon he said he would gladly read it because he loves reading anything that is about Christ. We got his number too so we are going to try to meet with him this week as well. This one was cool for me because when I saw him I wanted to just leave so I was ready to go but Elder Greenberg stopped me and we went to talk to him. Its always amazing what can happen when you listen to your companion and you push to do a little more than you really want to. On Saturday we also had a really good lesson with our investigator Gabriel who wants to be baptized. We taught him the Plan of Salvation and he loved learning about the Spirit World and the Kingdoms of Glory. His faith is so strong and his commitment to actually read the Book of Mormon and to pray about what we have taught him is amazing, its so cool to think that all of his progress has come about simply because some sister missionaries stopped to show him the Christmas video and it goes to show how powerful of a tool that can be. 

Christmas time as a missionary is totally different because my focus is so much more on the Savior and helping others. It brings a completely different Spirit to the season that I wish everybody could experience. Truly the best way that we can feel the true Spirit of Christmas is by finding ways to help those around us even if it is just by holding a door or smiling and saying hi, I know that  sometimes that may be all that somebody needs to brighten their day.

Love

Elder Cheever

This week flew by and definitely had its ups and downs

This week flew by and definitely had its ups and downs. On Tuesday we went out to go tracting and it ended up being super good. As some background, in one of my blessings I was blessed with is the ability to discern those who are seeking to learn more. My whole mission I have wanted to study that out and begin praying and trying to listen to the Spirit better so that I can use it to help bring people closer to Heavenly Father, so lately I have been thinking about it and reading about gifts in the scriptures and praying for opportunities to bless others through it. When we were driving and going to park to begin knocking doors we drove by this one house and when I looked at this symbol/design above the door it caught my eye for some reason but we kept going because where we planned to start was around the corner, but I couldn't stop thinking about it so I told Elder Dallin to turn the car around so we went back and parked across the street from it and went and knocked on the door. We waited for a little but as often happens, nobody answered the door but we did see an old man walk in front of the door so I left a copy of the Book of Mormon with a note inside and our phone number and one of the "A Savior is Born" cards. At first I was a little discouraged because I felt so good about that house but the thought came to me to just be patient and it might be somebody around him who needs it so we started tracting from there. When we finished the street we were doing and getting ready to get back into the car we talked to a lady named Dimitria who was super nice and super open to meeting with us to learn more so we got her address and then right after she left a guy went running by so Elder Greenberg chased him down and started talking to him and it turns out that he had just moved up here from Mission Viejo and that for a little while he had been playing soccer down there with the Saddleback YSA ward so he said he would like to meet with us and learn more too so we also got his contact information. After we talked to them I looked up and realized that we were standing directly across from the house that I originally felt we should knock on. It was so cool to have the chance to meet those people who we probably wouldn't have met had we parked down the street and I was so grateful to have the opportunity to help the Lord in such a way. Tuesday night was the mission Christmas party and was tons of fun. It was great to see all my friends from the San Clemente zone and hang out with them and catch up and also to sing Christmas songs together as a mission. At the end of it President Orgill read a letter from a convert to the church to a Bishop and told of how a Christmas play he saw in a chapel in Hawaii led to his reading the Book of Mormon and feeling the Spirit and getting baptized. As he spoke I felt the Spirit so strongly and I had the strongest desire to be able to have the chance to see the Christmas initiative from the church and the general spirit of Christmas open somebodies heart to the message of the gospel so that was something I began praying for. 
After Wednesday night everything went downhill. We had dinner at a member of the wards house and while I was eating I started feeling really sick and ended up throwing up and then Elder Dallin and Elder Greenberg both got super sick as well so we had to stay inside on Thursday which was miserable, not only do I have a testimony of the gospel but also of the reality behind cabin fever. As much as it gets tiring and can be hard working and grinding every day I would so much rather do that than be trapped inside even if I am sick because it was so boring and I felt like we were doing absolutely nothing. On Friday we went to ZTM but still felt really sick so we didn't get that much done then either. On saturday we decided we needed to work super hard to make up for doing nothing so we sat down and made a list of all the people whose contact information we had gotten over the past couple weeks and started calling them and planning to visit them. One of them that we called was a referral named Gabriel who seemed super excited to have us come over so we went right to his apartment. He told us that he came in contact with the church while he was doing a roofing job in Riverside and two sister missionaries showed him the Christmas video. He told us that he had felt the Spirit before but that he had never felt it that strongly in his life. As we taught him he sat and listened and absorbed it all in and seemed to really like it as he mentioned that he has always trusted in God when times have been hard for his family and there has been nobody else to turn to so he knew that this was something God wanted him to follow. We ended up even committing him to baptism on January 1st and he was really excited to decide that and have the first day of the new year be the first day of his new life so hopefully it all goes through. We may have taught him a lot about gospel, but during the lesson he taught me a huge lesson about faith. As he prayed to close it out he gave thanks for all the that his family had and was especially grateful that they could all be healthy physically and also financially and then he said he was grateful that they could finally have a good Christmas. When he said this the Spirit was so strong and I could tell the love that Gabriel has for his Heavenly Father and Christ and the love they have in return for him. I know for sure that this is the opportunity that I was hoping for to be able to bring somebody closer to our Heavenly Father through the true message and reason of Christmas so hopefully everything goes well with him. 

Last night it rained for the first time in a while and it rained a lot. The streets don't have drains like they do at home either so huge puddle would form which became a pain to deal with. At one point we had to try to jump over one to get into our car and Elder Dallin ended up ripping his suit pants doing so. I just got tired of trying to keep my shoes dry so I just took them off and rolled up my pants. As much as I love being a missionary and love helping others, its nice to occasionally have some good fun that makes me feel like myself again so it was a good thing for me to have that happen. Elder Dallin is being transferred on Tuesday so I will miss him a ton but I will still have fun working with Elder Greenberg. Hopefully the two of us can keep working hard and can bring to pass much righteousness in the South Coast ward and in Santa Ana because the people here are good and I guess God wants me to be with them for another 7 weeks;)

Love,

Elder Cheever

I know that the Book of Mormon is true with all of my heart

This week kinda stunk. We didn't do very much because Elder Greenberg made me sick and I was miserable and then Elder Dallin was super sick and achy (I dont know if I spelled that right) so we spent a lot of time sleeping between tracting and appointments. On Wednesday we had "Zone 24's" which is where everybody on the zone exchanges for a day and supposedly it helps a lot and miracles happen. Our companionship likes being able to do our own thing and work hard in our area and not have to deal with other missionaries so we were less than enthused about this whole thing. I was put in charge of the area with Elder Putnam, one of our zone leaders, and Elder Payne who has been out for 4 weeks now. In the morning we did some service and Elder Dallin and I both ended up there and we both felt sicj and tried to get permission from Putnam to exchange back but he didn't let us so the day started out rough. It kind of dragged on for a while but when we were tracting at some apartments we weren't having too much happen but then we were walking on the sidewalk and out of nowhere this lady asked if we had a Bible we could give her and we just happened to have one in our car so I ran to grab it while Payne and Putnam gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon then started talking with her. When I gave her the Bible I discovered that she is an atheist who used to be catholic but she is going through some hard times so she had tons of questions for us so we stood there on the sidewalk in the cold (it was probably like 60, so yes you can make fun of me for adjusting to this wimpy California weather) and talked with her for about an hour. The part of this chat with her that struck me most was at one point we mentioned that a mission costs $10,000 so she asked us if doing all this is worth the collective $30,000 between us and instantly I knew that despite the times that stink it is totally worth the money and everything else that I lose or go through just to be able to make one person's life happier so it has been completely worth it since I have helped more than just that hoped for one person, whether it be investigators who have gotten baptized, less actives, or ward members.

The Christmas devotional was kinda cool last night. It was pretty boring here too, as you can tell. We only had one lesson with an investigator which is annoying. She doesn't want to read the Book of Mormon because "its not talked about in the Bible" so I went through and showed her where it is talked about then I showed her in the Book of Mormon where Christ says that people who say they have a Bible and don't need more are basically denying God (it wasn't as harsh as that sounds I promise, she just needed some boldness),then I bore testimony of the Book of Mormon. I don't know how much it did for her but it helped me a ton because as I looked at her and said "I love the Book of Mormon, I know that it is true" I teared up and had to struggle through the rest of what I said. The only other time I have cried bearing testimony during a lesson was at the MTC when I invited our teacher pretending to be Selam to be bapitzed and I told her that the church was true and that it would help her. I love being a missionary, even when it stinks. I know that the Book of Mormon is true with all of my heart and I love to read from it each and every day. It has helped me so much through things that I have gone through and I know it can help anybody who reads it and prays for guidance. I love this gospel so much and I love helping God's children come home to His open arms. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Mentor, and Mediator with God and that He was born, taught, suffered, died, and was resurrected for each and every person who ever has lived, who now lives, and who ever will live. I know that His love for us is unconditional and that as we rely on His Atonement for us we can be carried through whatever trials we may face. He is the reason we celebrate so heavily at this time and it is important for us to remember Him in all that we do all year long, not just around Christmas. Every body should watch the "A Savior is Born" video at Christmas.Mormon.Org and share it with a friend because the Spirit felt during it is amazing. I love being here helping these good people and I know that I need to be with them.

Love

Elder Cheever

Outside the Ghetto Circle K

A favorite taco truck

Wearing his Samoan lava lava

70 degrees and sunny in December