Elder Allen on P-day

 Planking

 Th gang who went with him!

He is flying! 

 I bet he was so excited when he saw this critter!

 Looks like he had a great day hanging out in the Mts!

For All of you who miss seeing these LIPS!

Week of March 11th

 Well we had Zone Development Meeting ZDM and got some news about some things! First off the transfer of June 18th the missions are changing! We will be losing the Redlands, Yucaipa, Yucca Valley, Palm Desert, and Murrieta zones! That is 5 zones and we will only have 7 left. The interesting thing though is that we are pretty sure that missionaries will be taken from our mission and put into other missions. We will only know for sure the sooner we get to that transfer but there is the possibility that I could get called to new mission! I want to stay here though because The California Riverside Mission is the best mission in the world!

 

More big news...We will now be able to email all family, priesthood leaders, recent converts, and friends! That means I need Collin and Josh's email!

 

That was the big news!

 

Some quick notes from the week is we were at an investigators house and the hermana made herself some lunch and was eating during our lesson. Now you know how I abslolutley despise smaking lips, chewing with your mouth open, and chewing loudly. Well she had shrimp with the shell on and she would eat them shell and all! And she chewed with her mouth open and it was sooooo loud!! I about punched the wall behind me because it was soooo irritating.

 

Another funny story is we saw this super tall lady in a white and blue jogging suit and she looked mishappen or something and when we drove closer it was a DUDE!!! he had a wig on and make up and it was so gross!!!!!

 

I got the package and loved everything inside except a couple of the fruit cups exploded and I had to wash everything but other than that is was good! Thanks for all the food!

 

Hey Mama can I get a couple names for the temple from our family so I can go through the temple for them?

 

I think that was all. This transfer only has 2 more weeks in it and I think I might leave but a lot is going to happen and anything can happen really. Well I miss you all and hope you can email me!

 

Elder Allen

A sunset in California! 

(in the church parking lot)

A view of 

Moreno Valley

 Blue Skies in Moreno Valley!

Week of March 4th

Well nothing too crazy or weird happened this week. We put a few people on date but they exercise their free agency and don't come to church so we have to push their date back! We should be having a couple of baptisms coming up that I am super excited for and will love to see them progress in the gospel. We also taught some less actives and set some goals with them to get the priesthood to baptize their daughter who is 8 years old and to eventually go to the temple also! They seem excited but they didn't come to church too.  Even though everything doesn't go like I want it, I can still find the joy in this work that keeps me going and I love it!

 

I got the package with the almonds and flat bottom ties in it! I love all the ties! I am wearing one right now! So did you just find these ties all at once by going to wauseon and napoleon goodwills? I am accumulating lots of ties now lol! I also am glad to have my duffel bag for exchanges!

 

I just ate all my eggs and since we just got our money I can go buy some! I am so excited to have food!!!!

 

My Spanish is deffinitly getting better. It doesn't seem like much of an obstacle as much but I still need tons of improvement! I bore my testimony in spanish during fast and testimony meeting this Sunday too. I love being able to communicate with all these people now!

 

Other than that, that is all I have written down. I miss you all and can't wait to see my family on Mother's Day!

 

Elder Allen

Elder Allen's new haircut.  I never cut it that short before.

Elder Allen is getting buff!  Ethan you better watch out! No candy in his Easter Basket!

Well this week has been incredibly busy! Since we are doing 4 missionaries worth of work we have our days planned out 2 days before! We have lessons every hour and have a lot of solid investigators. We had 7 investigators come to church and even got a less active family there too. I don't really like doing less active work but it was so cool to see them at church! Our chapel was pretty full too!

 

There was one crazy thing that happened this week. We found out that our mission boundaries are going to be affected by the Redlands and Carlsbad missions. They opened 3 new missions here in California out of the 58 that were announced and so there might be a probability that missionaries from the Riverside mission will be called to a different mission. The Lord is hastening his work and it is so cool to be out here to see it happening!

 

We had a baptism yesterday! It was a 9 year old boy that the other Elders were teaching. We just had to set up the interview and the baptism so it wasn't really Elder Prieto and I's baptism but it counts for the area! The work here in Moreno Valley is growing and I am pretty sure March will be full of baptisms!

 

 We got bunk beds!!! We have soooo much room for ACTIVITIES!!!!!! we also got memory foam pads for our beds and I have been sleeping the best yet while on my mission! I am on the top bunk and it reminds me of my loft bed too! I love Bunk Beds!!! (I already fell off once though)

 

 We got to go to the temple this Friday too and I loved this visit! I felt the spirit very strong and always have a great time there. We ate at 5 Guys afterwards and it was really good. They have the best drink machines ever!!

Well that is all I had down for the week. Thanks for all the support! I miss every one!

Elder Allen

 Well the big story was transfers this week. Elder Cook is now a district leader here in Moreno Valley. I came out to the field with him and he is a really good missionary. One of the sisters went home and a new one came in. Elder Gonzalez, the other Spanish missionary in the ward got sent to the desert and will be living with Elder Dial too! Elder Craig his companion got in-zoned and will be covering an English ward and will be our new zone leader too. Elder Ete is going to Murrieta to be a zone leader and I cried a little when he left because he has been here with me in Moreno Valley since we got here and I lived with him all last transfer.

 The crazy thing though is that me and Elder Prieto will be covering all of Moreno Valley! There will only be one set of missionaries in our ward now and our area doubled in size! There is so much more work and we will be incredibly busy! I am excited though and know I will grow a lot from this experience. I think that it will only be for this transfer which is a week short so it will only be for 5 weeks. After this they will bring in a new set of missionaries and will split the area again.

 

One cool thing that happened is that I got called over by a lady who was having car problems and I had to hook up a hose for her and my arms got super dirty! Thanks for the car knowledge Andrew!

 

We got some more dumbbells yesterday. Me and Elder Tonini who I am living with work out now and one of his members had some weights they didn't want so we are pretty excited for the new weights!

 

I am having a ton of fun here though and love being busy. I do wish I had a better bed though so I could get some better sleep but its is better than having to sleep on a dirt floor!

 

I am planning on sending my memory card home because it is really full! There are pictures on there from before Christmas! So be checking the mail for the card!

I am already broke for the month too and won't be able to blow my money on dumb things anymore. I have enough food to get me through the month though so I'm not worrying.

 

I saw an Ohio license plate!

 

Yesterday I went to Goodwill and got a red square tie and some cool pants! I love the thrift stores!

 

Well I got to go, I love all of you and hope you are doing good!

 

Elder Allen