Viewmont represented!

Three missionaries from Viewmont High School serving in the California Los Angeles Mission!

Christmas Mission get-together

The MTC gang is back together.

Christmas Day 2011

Zak got to Skype from Hollywood California for Christmas!

Hi, Elder Harper.

Temple Day

Hollywood

Hey, I've been transferred! I'm in Hollywood now!

It’s good here. There is a lot of potential. We have a few people that we are going to have with baptismal dates so that will be good.

The work is going good

Hey this week was a good one. The work is going good. We were able to find some new potential investigators, that was really good. Things are going good here in Downey. We had a little bit of wind last week from the Santa Ana winds but nothing too big out here so that was good but it did get windy enough to get all the leaves off the trees.

TIM TAMS

TIM TAMS more

I got the box with Tim Tams (chocolate cookies covered in chocolate). Here are some pictures of me eating the Tim Tams!

Thanksgiving 2011

Hey this last week was good we had a service project that we helped some people out with food for Thanksgiving.

For Thanksgiving we had lunch with a family in the Samoan ward. That was awesome. For dinner a member took us out to Denny's and that was good.

The work is going good we have 2-3 really good potential investigators in the Downey ward so that is awesome. Ace is doing well. We talked to him at the lunch we had on Thanksgiving so things are going good with him. We hadn't heard from him for a few weeks. He is no longer interested in the gospel, but we planted the seed.

Hey mom, you said I could just take a picture of me now and just send it … so here you are!

November Zone Conference

Ace

Hey This week was a good one we got a new investigator his name is Ace and he is awesome. He is progressing really well. Its awesome to have someone that is progressing. wow i dont really know what else to say this week but it was good to teach Ace. Ace is from Hawaii and is a friend of someone in the Samoan Ward.

Welcome to the Neighborhood

The Watts Towers

Still in Downey

Hey, we had transfers this week and I am still in Downey. I am with Elder Ursenbach (ersonback).

Pics from the Talent show set up

Elder Loli is going to be transferred

Hey i have been good. I found out that Elder Loli is going to be going to San Pedro but I don’t know about me yet. Elder Loli and I had a great time together.

We just got done with a talent show and an open house for the wards and that took up like all of last week. I was able to set up the sound system at the talent show so that was cool. They didn’t know how to set it up. It was good that I was there to help. One more way the lord is watching out.

Having the car and being the driver is interesting because it means that I drive when other elders that don’t have a car need to go somewhere. As for driving in L.A., It all depends on the day, where I’m going and if I have any other elders with me. I’m getting used to the traffic.

Mini Missionary

Hey things are going good. This last week was slow but good still. I have been good.

The picture is of my companion and me with our mini missionary. Where a local youth joins us in doing missionary work.

Last week we tracted into a woman who was interested in hearing more about the gospel. Yeah it’s good to find someone but she is really busy so it’s hard to contact her. We have been working to find more people to teach.

Tracking is the least effective way to find someone to teach. We go about a few times a week door to door.

Driving

Don't bug me. I'm driving in the L.A. traffic.

Baptism Picture

Baptism on Sunday

Hey from the FHL.

We went to the temple today as a zone and it was good. I like the way I always learn something new. We didn’t do any service today.

The area is good and we are just in the finding mode. The people are good, humble people. There is work to do but it is a different kind of work.

This week was good, we had the Baptism on Sunday, and that was good.

Hey, from Downey

Hey this week is going ok. Finding is down but we are doing well nevertheless.

Yeah the weather is ok I think its a little hot but its ok and it is hotter here than in Redondo...with the fog it depends on the day.

The baptism last week was good a lot of people showed up for it. It makes me feel good to see and help someone enter into baptism because it helps them progress in the Gospel in so many ways. Ultimately the goal is the Temple.

Can you Help an Elder Out

(will work for baptism)

Baptism is the Gate

Baptism

Elder Waldvogel and Elder Loli

Volleyball

Volleyball at the Samoan Ward

August Zone Conference

Hey its going really good we just had Zone Conference and Elder Kevin R Duncan http://lds.org/church/leader/kevin-r-duncan?lang=eng&query=duncan and that was really cool.

Hey its going good here in the Downey 4th area. The only thing happening this week is we have 4 baptisms on the 28th. That's cool. I will be doubling the amount of baptisms I have in one day vs. one-year lol. We have 3 individual people from the Samoan ward and 1 individual from the Downey ward. We are still teaching 1 other person in each ward so they will be baptized soon but I don't know exactly when. We have been working on completing families you can say.

There are 3 other companionships in our district and there is one 3 some. Yeah, we have district P-days and also Zone P-days.
There is one other car in the district so we split picking up people. but yeah we pick up one of the companionships and take them around.

I spoke last Sunday in the Downey ward and one other time in Redondo 3rd ward so I have only given talks 2 times.

I am kinda trying to learn Samoan. I only know like 2 or 3 words but I’m trying.
Elder Loli and I are working well together. He is personable and good at meeting people.

Downey

Downey has a population of 111,772 and we cover Downey, Norwalk and Paramount. The area has a lot of good things to it. It is different from Redondo Beach but I like it.

I am a little excited about driving a car again but the down side is I am not going to be getting the exercise as I use to on a bike… but I still like the car.

We work from member referrals and our wards are good about getting those for us. When we are not teaching investigators we are working with less active members of the wards.

The 2 wards we work with are good. I like them. It’s hard because we have to go to one and then right after sacrament we go to the other one. The Samoan ward speaks Samoan in sacrament meeting then it’s English. When the members from the Samoan ward feed us usually its food they drop off to us at the church because some of them live out of the mission but it’s good. Sometimes I can’t really tell what it is, but it’s good.

Elder Loli and I are working hard and anticipate a few baptisms on the 28^th of this month.

I’m in Downey

I’ve been transferred to Downey. It is more inland and hotter than Redondo Beach but nice. I have a new comp. his name is Elder Loli and he is from Hawaii. He is cool. As it turns out we both came out from the MTC at the same time.

I am in the Downey 4th area and I cover that ward and the Samoan ward and they are cool.

I’m back in a driving area and the car I am driving is a 2011 ford fusion. It’s cool… a little sluggish on the acceleration but it’s a good car.

The work is good here! We have a few people to teach so that is good. Other than that we are doing good. Thanks for all the prayers!

L.A.?!

Sometimes you have to wonder...only in L.A.?!

Study Time

Look What I Found

Sister Baker (President Baker's Wife) has been keeping a blog (calamission.blogspot.com) for almost a year now but I haven't checked it on a regular basis...see what I missed!


December
Christmas Eve service (making cookies and Mission Christmas Social