Anyways, hello everyone! Wow, another week in Oakland has past. It's been a pretty typical week here; pretty cold most of the time with constant rain, but not too bad. We had some fun this week.
The big news, of course, is that we are officially a Smart Phone Mission! This past Thursday, we were in Castro Valley for a Zone Conference completely dedicated to phones and how we will be using them in the work. We have new apps and systems and trackers for our investigators and indicators, not to mention changes in our Area Book records and referral management... Needless to say, it was a HUGE day full of tons of newly digested information. Now having been using our devices for a week, it's been quite the adjustment. The more experiences missionaries in our mission almost have to relearn the basics of our work so as to involve and accommodate technology use. It's pretty crazy, and will definitely take some getting used to.
We met with Aris Yuan again this week. He's been hard to get a hold of recently, but we managed to snag some time with him. He has expressed a desire to be baptized, which is great. He has no problems with the Word of Wisdom (a MASSIVE blessing!), but needs a little bit more help boosting his faith. Elder Carns and I taught him all about the importance of what our mission calls "CPR:" Church, Pray, and Read. We told him that it is through these basic activities that we not only gain, but maintain and further develop our testimonies in the Gospel. We read Alma 32:28-30, and encouraged him to specifically pray about a date to be baptized. After our lesson, we taught him the song "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go" and we also sang a duet version of "You'll Be Back" from the musical Hamilton. Aris sings in an A Capella group on the UC Berkeley campus, so we've bonded over our mutual love of music. I also had the chance to sing at a baptism and a dinner appointment this week, which was fun.
In other news, we contacted a woman named Lisa, who missionaries here in Oakland have been teaching for a while. She is from Beijing and a lover of Chinese culture. She loves the Bible, so hopefully next week we can get her to understand a little more about the Book of Mormon. We also did a lot of contacting former investigators and less actives, used a survey we created to help us do some contacting at UC Berkeley (those are a big hit with college students), and had a Zone Testimony Meeting.
The Spiritual piece of doctrine I've learned this week is about mistakes. I hate looking stupid or embarrassing myself when my wrong choices or actions are left open for the world to see. However, in my contemplation, I've learned that it is not our mistakes that define us, but how we overcome them. One of my favorite quotes is from Rafiki in "The Lion King:"
"Yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it." The past is meant to be learned from and used to motivate us to become better than we were yesterday, not to debilitate us. I'm grateful for the lessons Heavenly Father is teaching me on my mission. I know He lives and he loves and knows each one of His children personally. He is there!
I love you all. Thank you for your support and prayers. I feel them and recognize them. I am grateful for the massive support system I have in all of you.
我爱你们每个人! 耶稣基督或者!
Elder Butters/包长老
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