It's Always Sunny in Sacramento

Ola, como está?

     It has been another week and I am enjoying the work. I haven't been getting enough sleep so I am pretty tired most of the time but having done a year at college that is nothing new to me. This week has been full of even more contacting and member dinners. Our list of people who are interested and just need a date is well defined and all we need is for people to schedule a time.

     On Tuesday we did our regular service helping a family in our ward with their garden. The garden itself is very impressive and pretty. Other members in the ward are quite envious of it. It even has a bathtub with strawberries growing in it and it doesn't even look sketchy (unlike most other bathtubs in backyards). The members themselves are quite nice and very insightful. This last Sunday one of them shared that "Christ is not white, he is light and light encompasses the entire spectrum." My companion and I found this message super cool and special. 2 Nephi 26:33 demonstrates this idea. Jesus Christ accepts and loves us all, regardless of who you are.

     In other news I found out our apartment has 2 world maps, 1 map of the United States. I don't think anyone in the apartment knows what Elder left them behind. Almost everything in missionary apartments are either free things found on the side of the road or things other Elders left behind. My companion once had an apartment with 7 couches in it. It is really fun exploring some of the random things Elders have left behind.

     Since I have been here the average temperature has been somewhere around 90 to 110 and we have gotten more smoke that looks like fog than actual fog. California is currently experiencing a mega-drought because it hasn't rained since sometime around December. All the extra smoke has lead to some pretty cool sunsets. Unfortunately since Sacramento is really flat and there aren't any good places to get pictures and there are usually trees in the way but I have gotten some pretty sweet pictures.

     This week we also made an incredible friend. We helped her moved some stuff and we found out she is super spiritual. She recognized we had the spirit and loves to talk to us.

     This Friday we also spent the morning on bikes. It was a lot of work but it was quite fun.

     This week I also had my first exchange. This is when two companionships swap companions for a day. I was paired with Elder Young who is pretty awesome. He is leaving in about 2 months. We had a pretty successful day which happens a lot on transfers. I learned a lot, mostly on how to be bold without being overbearing (the secret is love). It was a great experience.

     This week there was a lot of sun and I had a thought about it. The sun will always be there (for billions of years anyway). Clouds may form and obscure our sight but the sun will always be there and shine through it all. God is the sun, constantly reaching out to us. Trials in our life may cloud His presence but he will always be there for us.

Sunset #1

Sunset #2