July 14, 2014 Pink Wash

Well I don't even know where to begin. This week has been absolutely crazy! So much has happened in such little time. This week Elder Metcalfe and I went to the temple, got pulled over by the police, and had to say goodbye to all the people we have come to love in Murrieta.

The Temple was amazing! It always is. We went on Tuesday morning down to the San Diego Temple. The greatest thing about the Temple is the peace, and comfort from the spirit there. My favorite thing about the Temple is sitting in the Celestial Room. I love to sit there and ponder questions that I have. I have always left the temple with my questions answered every time. Never once has the Lord failed me. I only wish we could go more. After my mission I want to set a goal of going at least every other week to the temple and maybe I can even be a temple worker.

The next day after our wonderful trip were getting ready for Zone Training meeting. We had to pick up two other sets of missionaries and take them there. Then got a call around 9 am from the Zone Leaders. They told us that the Sister missionaries in the Winchester Ward needed to have their car jump started. So we had one hour to pick up and drop off two sets of Elders, some how find jumper cables, jump start the sisters car, and arrive at our meeting on time. Need less to say that desperate times call for desperate measures. So let me just say I was doing everything in my power to be on time. We had just picked up the first set of missionaries and were on our way to get some jumper cables from the Rodriguez family, when we were pulled over by a Murrieta Police motorcycle cop. I had quite a few thoughts going around in my mind at that point. I was thinking crap I can't believe this is really happening. I am going to lose my driving privilege. I am going to get a ticket. But surprisingly I felt calm as I pushed out those thoughts with praying to our Heavenly Father to help us in our time of need. 

The police officer walked up to me and told me he had pulled me over for speeding. He said I was going 48 mph in a 35 mph zone. He asked for my drivers license. As I handed him my license, I noticed him take a look at my name badge. He said, "Hold on one moment, every state licenses are different. I just need a little while to find the expiration date." As he said that, he reached to his side and turned on his radio to call in my license. He then paused for a few dreadful seconds. Turned off the radio, handed my my license and said, "Just slow down." He then walked back to his motorcycle and drove away.

I was completely shocked. I though for sure I would get a ticket. There was absolutely no reason why I should not have gotten one. I was going almost 15 mph over. I didn't say anything to to convince not to give me a ticket. There are only two things I can think of reasons why he didn't give me a ticket. 1. It was the the first couple days of the month. He didn't necessarily have to get his quota just yet. Or 2. The Lord answered our prays and provided a way for us to get to our meeting on time. It was definitely the our Heavenly Father watching out for us. I don't think the officer was a member, and I don't know what he was told by the spirit. But I will always remember the day my pray was answered in my time of need, and that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING can stop this work from progressing.

We learned this week that Elder Metcalfe and I will both be leaving this transfer. We are getting Pink Washed. Which means sisters will be coming in and taking our place. It was really sad to say goodbye to all the people that I have come to love over the 7 1/2 months I have served in Murrieta. I am going to miss each and everyone of them very much. I was hard to say goodbye to Autumn who we have been working with for the last month or so trying to get her Mom's permission to get baptized. It was hard not to say goodbye to Christine and give her encouragement not to give up. As she is going through some really hard times. It was sad to say the Fittons despite, the crazy times we have had there. It will be hard to get a new companion. Elder Metcalfe has been great. However, I am looking forward to my new area, new companion, and new adventures.

Elder Paget 

June 30, 2014 Potentials Galore

This has been a great week. We are working as hard as week can. I am working as hard as I have ever worked on the mission so far. We are making sure to talk to everyone. This week our focus was to see how many potential investigators we can get in on week. We talked to about 175 people and we found 15 potential investigators. That means for about every 12 people we talked to, we found someone who was willing for us to come back and teach them. It is really cool. It is so amazing to see so many people show interest. In a good week would usually find 2-3 potential investigators. It is a miracle found so many. Now we just have to start teaching all of them. We have had quite a few miracles this last week.

First we ran in to a guy by the name of Gabriel last week. We were asking him if he needed any help with anything. He said no, but that he could use a prayer. He said he needed healing and wanted to have me pray also for his kids protection. So I prayed with him. Then asked him If we could give him a card with our number so he could call us in case him or his family needed anything. I handed him a pass along card with the picture of Jesus when he appeared to the people in America. As I gave him it I explained what was happening in the picture and briefly told him about the Book of Mormon and gave him one.  He though it was really interesting. We set up a return appointment for Wednesday to teach him more. We called hp on Tuesday to see if we were still on for our lesson. He said that he got shingles and his kids had chicken pox and told us not to come over. Elder Metcalfe and I have already both had the chicken pox and told him it was not a big deal for us to come over. He said it we should reschedule anyway, and that he just needed prayers. We told him about blessings and that we had the power and authority to act in Jesus's name. He then changed his mind and allowed us to come the next day. When we were there we taught him and his family about blessings and doing it in the way that the savior did it with oil. He though it was really cool. HE had read in the bible about it but had never heard or seen anyone doing it that way. We gave his kids blessings and then it was Gabriel's turn to get his. The spirit was really strong and everyone recognized its presents there. We then were able to set up a new return appointment to come back the following Wednesday to teach him and his family. I can't wait. It was great to be able to be in a position to help those who stand in need. I know this church is true and love being a missionary!

I will let you know of the other miracles next week.

Elder Paget

June 23- ONE YEAR DOWN! A lifetime to go!

Well I don't have a lot of time this week. There is never enough time. It is going by so fast. I can't believe that I have been serving for a year now. It is crazy. It definitely doesn't feel like it. It feels like one never ending summer. I love being a missionary. It is absolutely the greatest thing I have ever done. I have learned and grown so much. Spiritually and hopefully physically as well. I have had a blast. It is a lot of hard work, but totally worth it. One of the most asked questions you get on a mission is, why did you decide to serve? It is funny because a lot of missionaries say that they had a spiritual experience, or something told them that they needed to go and do. However I never had any of that. I never had an experience like that. I just always knew that I needed to serve a mission. It was never a doubt in my mind. I knew that it is what the Lord expected of me, and it was one way I could try to repay the Savior. For being able to be cleansed of all the sins and stupid mistakes I have made, making it possible to be with family for eternity. He has change my life immensely. And what better thing can you do than to help him change others? Now I have a year down, and a Lifetime to go being his disciple, and doing as he would do. Missions are only for two years. Sure you will return , but you can never retire, being a missionary lasts forever.

Everything is going well. Elder Me and I are working as hard as week can. We talked to over 226 people this last week. It was insane and we are seeing a lot of miracles come from it. We have picked up a lot of potential investigators, and even a few return appointments. I will let you know next week how it goes.

Elder Paget

June 16- Rum French Toast. Wait......not again!

Well I don't know what to write about this week. There has not been anything that has been new or very exciting happen. We talked to a lot of people this week and made a return appointment. But it is for the spanish sisters. It is tough, all of the investigators that we find are for different wards. All of the investigators that we are teaching, except Autumn, should be taught by other missionaries. However our ward members want us to teach them instead of the missionaries that are supposed to. They recognize that we are really good teachers,and we love that, but it puts us in an awkward position. We can continue to teach them but we can't ever help them progress and be baptized. Elder Metcalfe and I decided that we were going to fix the problem and make everything right. Now the only problem was we didn't want to offend any of the members by suddenly switching missionaries on their friends and family. We decided to bring it up to the bishop at ward council and seek his advice on how we can hand off our investigators smoothly and not get any one mad. He told us that he wants us to continue to teach them and not hand them off. So we are back a square one STILL trying to find people that WE can teach and baptize. 

Actually a funny thing happened a week or so ago. I really don't know what the deal is with my companions and rum. Somehow they just gravitate toward each other. Elder Metcalfe really wanted to make some french toast. So one day he decided to go through our kitchen to see if we had all the ingredients for his special recipe. He found bread, eggs, cinnamon and sugar, the essentials. As he finished his search, he said that they only thing he now needed was rum extract. "Rum Extract?" I responded. Then I went on and told him of my experience of Elder Wilkinson eating the rum cake. He said that it was funny, and he then told me about how his dad put real rum in their french toast. "Of course," he explained, "that when you cook it, the alcohol cooks out." Now fast forward to a few nights later when we are sitting at dinner with some members in our ward and the topic came up again. They members just so happened to have the rum extract that Elder Metcalfe was looking for. The next morning, Elder Metcalfe proudly made his fathers famous french toast. He didn't want any so he just made some for me. There is the first red flag. I took one bit, and all of the sudden I tasted alcohol. I said to my self that is funny, this doesn't have any alcohol in it. Then I asked how much of the rum extract Elder Metcalfe had used. He said that used a few drops, but he had finished the rest of the bottle that was at least 1/3 of  the way full. Not to mention the french toast was not cooked all the way. I ate four slices of french toast and could not eat any more. So Elder Metcalfe decided he would finish off the rest. He said "Wow, this tastes just as good as when my dad had made it with real rum. It is like you can taste the alcohol and everything." To make a long story short I decided I would look at the bottle and to our surprise rum extract is 35% alcohol. I was surprised. The good thing is that nothing happened to either one of us. No one got "drunk" or couldn't ride our bikes, but I just thought it was funny. I didn't think that another rum story would come up. Who knows what will happen next?

Elder Paget

June 9- Murrieta with Metcalfe

A lot has happened in the last week or so. First it was time to say goodbye to Elder R as he came to the end of his faithful 2 year service. It is always hard when you get a new companion, but this was probably the toughest one yet. You end up becoming great friends and know how to work with each other. Then at the end of the transfer you go in your separate directions. It was hard not to get trunky because he was preparing to go home to the place where I call home also. It was especially tough because we both lived in the same area, went to the same high school, know the same people, and the list goes on. It would have been a lot easier if Elder R had lived some where else in the USA or even in a different county in Utah. It probably would not have affected me. It definitely got me to think a lot about home, but more importantly it got me thinking of who I want to be when I come home. Will I be changed? Or will I be the same person with the same problems? Will I make every minute count while I am serving or will slack off? I has been hard, but It has had a great impact on me now that I have been out almost 1 year. I am now striving to be that changed missionary, when I return home, being able to say I gave it my all.

Second, I got a new companion his name is Elder Me he is from Middleburg, Florida. It was actually quite funny. I totally called that he would be my companion. He was serving here in Murrieta in a different ward, when we got our transfer calls. Him and his companion were being both taken out of the area, so sisters could serve in their ward. When I heard this I immediately told Elder Russell that he was going to be in zone transferred and become my companion. When we were at the transfer meeting, President Kendrick called my name and said, " Elder Paget your new companion is going to be Elder Me." I immediatley yelled, "Called it!" Anyway he is a great missionary, who is not afraid to work hard and give it all that he has got.

We picked up a new investigator this week. Her name is C. She is related to a member in our ward that was recently baptized. She doesn't live in our ward boundaries but her relative wants us to teach her. We have taught her the Plan of Salvation, and Gospel of Jesus Christ. Right now she is interested in learning more, and is not ready to become a member..... just yet. The member said we could teach her on the conditions that we would not invite her to be baptized. It is super hard not to especially when that is what all the lessons are about, and our purpose is to FIND, TEACH, and BAPTIZE. So what did we do? Well lets just say we that we softly invited her to be baptized. We asked her, "When you know these things are true will you be baptized?" She said she would definitely think about it. She is making a lot of progress and look forward to meeting with her on Wednesday. 

A is still making progress. Her Mom has not given her permission yet to be baptized. But we know she will do it soon. Please keep praying for her.

Elder Paget