Beatboxing with Sister Nnah

Hey fam!

First of all HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD! I hope you had a great one. I was thinking about you all day and how lucky I am to have the best dad in the world. I love you so soo much and am very grateful for your example. Thanks for all that you do. :)

Well, it's been another great week. I just love being a missionary! :) [The new convert] was confirmed yesterday in church and she looked very happy. [A current sister investigator] has been doing really well. She shared her testimony in gospel principles and was answering questions that investigators had. It is amazing to see how much she has changed already and how happy she is now. [Another investigator] also came to church again and he is still planning on getting baptized on the 30th of June. He is progressing really well. Its funny because he is already best friends with most of the ward since he talks so much. He is very social. We are hopefully having a family home evening with him and a family in our ward tonight so that should be good for him. 

Last night I was able to go back to Santa Ana 10 because one of sister Withams investigators was getting baptized. It was great to see everyone again! :) I miss that ward. I am grateful to be here in Fullerton though because I absolutely love the members here! It is probably my favorite ward out here on the mission. 

Yesterday I gave a talk in sacrament meeting which will probably be my last one on the mission. It was nice because they pretty much let my pick any topic I wanted. On Friday we had a Fathers day party and had a talent show. They asked us to do something and so we sang a hymn but added a little beatboxing thanks to sister Nnah. I will try to send the video, it was pretty funny. 

Anyways, sorry this is kind of short. I love you all so much! :) 

(With just over 3 weeks to go, the letters seem to be getting shorter. Next week we might get a paragraph, we'll see.)

~Hermana Layton

Referrals from Members Are So Powerful

Hello everyone!

It has been another great week here in Fullerton! __________ got baptized last night and the spirit was so strong. She had the biggest smile on her face the whole time. She said that she felt really good and she looked so happy. She was so nervous for her interview and the baptism but she did such a great job. _________ and her mom were wanting to wait to do the baptism until ________'s birthday in August but we had a very powerful lesson at the beginning of the week and they realized that she was ready now. I am so grateful for the guidance of the spirit and that ________ and her mom were both able to recognize it. She is so happy with the decision that she made. _______, came to the baptism but we have not been able to get him to come to church. He has opened up a lot since we started teaching him but when we talk about baptism he doesn't seem very excited. We will still be working with him though and praying that he will see the changes in _________ and ___________. They are great examples to him.

The members in this ward are so amazing. We have a member in the ward named Hermana Bautista and she is the most amazing member missionary I have ever met. She brings us around her neighborhood to everyone she knows so that we can share the gospel with them. When she doesn't know some of her neighbors she goes over there and gets to know them so that she can introduce us to them later. She doesn't have any fears at all about sharing the gospel. We have already gotten 12 member referrals from her and she said that she still has a lot of people that she wants to introduce us to. She is such a good missionary and an example to everyone. I know it's not always that easy to find friends to share the gospel with, but referrals from members are so powerful and I am just so grateful when the members understand that. Something that I have really learned out here is how to be a member missionary. Even though I might not be able to stay out here on the mission as long as I want, I know that I can still be a missionary once I get home. 

______ is still doing well. He came to church again on Sunday and loved it. He is still preparing to get baptized on the 30th of June and we are excited for him. He has been working on living the word of wisdom and said that he has felt a lot better as he has been doing it. He has already seen a difference and its been about a week. I am grateful to be teaching him. He was a referral from a member. I know they progress so much faster when they have that member support. We are also teaching a girl named _________. She is also a friend from a member in our ward (Thank you members!) and she's progressing really well. She has been coming to church for a couple of weeks now and really likes it. Her older sister is also talking lessons from the singles elders. Their parents are not really into it but are very willing to let their kids learn and choose what they want.

Well, thats about it for the week. I love the gospel so much! If everyone who reads this finds just one person to share the gospel with I know that there will be miracles. :) Have a great week everyone!

~Sister Layton

Staying in Fullerton

Hey fam!

This morning we had transfers. I will be staying here in Fullerton as my last area! I am super happy! Sister Budge went back to Santa Ana 10 (The city of Orange), and sister Witham came here with sister Nnah and I. Sister Witham is from Utah and she got out here a couple of transfers ago. I am excited for another great transfer!!!

Things here in Fullerton are great! __________ is doing really well and is very happy that her kids are both listening to us now. __________ came to church again. She loves the first meeting but not the second class as much because its hard for her to understand what's going on. She is more comfortable with english but her mom is way more comfortable with spanish. They want to go to the same ward so it makes it hard for her. We have also still been teaching __________ and he is actually really enjoying it. He still hasn't made it to church, but hopefully soon. He has opened up a lot and we are excited to keep working with him. We are also still teaching __________ and he is progressing really well. He finally committed to a baptism date For June 30th but seems a little bit nervous. He came to church again and loves it. He participates a lot in the classes. He also wanted to come see the baptism last night but his ride fell through and so he ended up getting there late. At least he was able to eat some food and talk with all of his new friends, so I think he had a good time. We also have just started teaching a lady named ________. She has loved the lessons so far and seems to be progressing really well. She came to church yesterday. She seemed to like it but said it was really long for her. She has visited a lot of different churches and likes learning about new ones. Hopefully all goes well with her.  

Lets see what else... I went on exchanges again this week with sister Rollins so that was fun. I am always learning so much from the sisters in the mission. I don't think I will be going on as many exchanges this transfer because they called a few more coordinating sisters since they are splitting the mission right when I leave. The few that got called will be moving to the Irvine mission next transfer. It is so crazy that the mission will be splitting! Anyways, I hope all is going well back home. Thanks for the emails and letters! Love you all! :)

Have a great week!!!!!!

~Hermana Layton

This Week's Letter is Like Her Time Left - Short

Hey fam!

Ok so I have a lot to say and not a lot of time at all. It has been an amazing week. We just got back from the Helotada which was a big stake activity. I was able to see everyone from my old wards and it was tons of fun. The best part was that I got to play soccer like all day today!! So fun!!! We wanted to stay longer but we are already running late with everything that we have to get done today. Anyways... we are standing in the apple store emailing. All of the libraries are closed but luckily the apple store is not.

____________'s baptism was so amazing and she was able to get confirmed on Sunday. Both of her kids came to the baptism. _________ loved it and now has a baptism date for the 9th of June. She is so cute and smiles so big every time we talk about her baptism. ___________'s son hasn't wanted anything to do with us but I think the baptism softened him up a lot. He usually gets up and leaves when we come over but last night he stayed out in the living room while we taught. We asked him if we could start teaching him and he said yes! We have an appointment to go back tomorrow so we are super excited. 

We have been teaching a man named __________ and he is progressing really well. He came to church yesterday and loved it, and he really wants to come again next week. The only problem is that he talks so much! It is really hard to teach him. We haven't been able to talk about baptism yet but we will soon! Its funny because when we go over to teach he always feels like he is supposed to feed us and always sends us home with lots of food. His friend (a recent convert from the ward) always brings food to the lessons too. He has seen the changes in his friends life from when he joined the church and he wants that too so its pretty cool.

This weekend our transfer calls again and it will be my last one. I hope I will stay in the area but who knows. There have been so many changes lately. Ill tell you about it next week! Hasta luego!

Me

A Week Full of Miracles

Hello everyone! :)

Well it was definitely a week full of miracles! I went on exchanges this week with sister Minert in Costa Mesa which was a lot of fun. This week I am going to La Habra and I think it might be my first english exchange. I am looking forward to that. We had zone conference on Wednesday which was great. It is an amazing experience every time we get to hear from President and sister Bowen. I have learned so much from them. The assistants to the president did some training and there were a couple of missionaries that spoke as well. I definitely learned a lot.

So __________ was planning on getting baptized this Sunday but her boss said she had to come into work after church. We met with her this week and she was talking about maybe doing her baptism next month when she knows for sure that she would have work off every Sunday. She has talked with the bishop to have him write a letter to her boss and explain that she is investigating the church and wants to have Sundays off so that she can live the sabbath day. She has also been looking for a new job and doing everything she can because she knows that it's important. She is such an example and has so much faith! 

In one of the lessons that we had this week she was trying to decide when to do her baptism. She was talking through it and we were just listening. She paused for five or ten seconds and said "Ok God just told me something. I am supposed to get baptized this week and be at church next week too." Then she said, "I wanted to wait until next month but God wants me to do it now. I am going to do what God wants, not what I want." She is amazing and so in tune with the spirit! We are so blessed to have this opportunity to teach her. I think she teaches us more than we ever could her. She has her baptism interview with president tonight and she is getting baptized tomorrow night at 6. I have never met anyone who was so excited and so ready for their baptism. 

___________ has really been trying to get her daughter ___________ to listen to us but she is so shy and never wants to come out when we are there. One day this week when we had a lesson with _________, we knocked on her door right as ___________'s friend walked up. We started talking to her and invited her to sit in on the lesson with us and have _________ come too. They both came and sat down and it was a very powerful lesson. This was the first time that she really opened up. At the end we were talking to her mom about her baptism and she looked to her friend and said, "I want to get baptized but I'm scared." My companion heard her and asked why she was scared. We talked all about baptism with her and once she understood it she felt a lot better. She wants to come to her moms baptism now. She also was nervous to come to church but she came on Sunday and loved it. The youth were so helpful and so nice to her. We are excited to work with her more.

We are also teaching a lady named _________. She is a friend of one of the members in our ward. She came to church with her daughter on Sunday and loved it. She is also coming to _______'s baptism tomorrow. She has a lot of really good questions and seems pretty interested so we are excited to work with her more. Hopefully we can start teaching her boyfriend too and get them married soon. A couple of the less active families we are teaching have came to church these last couple of weeks. The ward is kinda small, but with 10 missionaries it is growing fast. I am so happy to be in this ward! The members are the amazing and are really helping us out! I can't wait to introduce you all to them when we come back and visit. :)

I love this work, the area and ward. I know that this is where I am supposed to be. I see miracles every single day. I am so happy and I know it is because it is Heavenly Father's work and there is nothing more amazing than seeing people accept the gospel in their lives. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and I love him so much. The church is so true and I know it! I am so grateful for this knowledge. Mom and dad I am so grateful for your examples and that you raised me in the church, it is the best thing you could have ever done for me. I look up to you both so much! Thank you! :) Have a great week!

It Was So Clear to Me Where We Needed to Go

Hey family! 

It was so great talking on the phone for mothers day. I just wish it could have been a little bit longer. I hope you had a good mothers day mom. I am so lucky to have the most amazing mom in the world!! :) You really are the best! 

Well, this week was great! For mothers day we had a ward party and __________ came. It was kinda funny because we got there at 6 when it was supposed to start and no one was there except the guy setting up the food. Ana Lilia came at like 6:10 and felt really bad that she came late, but then she walked in the gym and saw that no one was there. We had told her that it was going to be a really fun mothers day party and we felt so bad when she came in! 

People didn't really come until about 6:30 or 6:45 but when people actually came she had a ton of fun. She made a lot of new friends in the ward. She is still planning on getting baptized next weekend and she's so excited about it. We still have to teach her a few of the commandments this week so hopefully all goes well. We taught her about fasting for a purpose this week and she said that we was going to fast that her children would be open to listening to us. She really wants her family to accept the gospel.

We also are teaching a man named _________. He said he was only going to be here for a few weeks because he is here for work, but he just got asked to stay until October. That means that his wife is coming down too and we will be able to start teaching her. Anyways, he is super smart. He read the restoration pamphlet that we gave him when we met him at the door and remembered everything about it. He really seems to understand everything that we are teaching. 

I know for a fact that Heavenly Father led us to him. I had one of the most amazing experiences of my mission this week when we found him. It was a hard day because many of our appointments fell through and every person we talked to did not want to listen at all. We went to a complex to knock some doors and I was just praying to myself that we would know where we needed to be and who we needed to talk to. We started at one end and knocked a few, but none of them wanted to listen. 

Well after about the third house I had an experience that I will never forget. It was so clear to me where we needed to go. I looked to my companions and pointed to an apartment across the complex and said come on we need to go there. We walked down the stairs, and across the complex and knocked on the door.  That is when we met ________. He was very open and and really wanted to learn more. 

His family is away from him right now for work and he thought that is was amazing that we were away from our families to share this message. Anyways we went back to teach him and it went well. I know for a fact that we were led to him. Whether or not he accepts this message right now, I know that we were supposed to be there. I am so grateful for the guidance of our Heavenly Father in this work because we would not be able to do it without him. I know that Heavenly Father does answer our prayers and wants to lead us to those who are ready for the Gospel.

We had a sisters meeting this week and I am pretty sure it is my last one. President and sister Bowen spoke and also asked me to speak. It was so amazing looking down at all of the new sister missionaries. I am so grateful to have been here to be able to see so many changes in the mission with all of the new sisters coming in and with the age change. There are so many now that we couldn't do the meeting at president's house. We had to do it at a chapel. This work is amazing and is growing so fast! I'm loving it out here! It is such a blessing to share the gospel! :) Well I have to get going. Love you all!! :)

~Hermana Layton

A Woman of Great Faith

Hello everyone!

Things here in Fullerton are great! We are getting to know more of the members and starting to work with some of their friends. We had dinner with one of the members this week and she was so excited to have sisters. She told us that she is our mission mom and will do anything to help us out. I love it when members are so excited to work with the missionaries! Tonight we have an FHE with a family in the ward and they are bringing two non members. Member referrals are the best because then the investigators always have someone there to answer their questions and help them out even when the missionaries are gone. We also got a referral this week from the elders investigator, _______. She wanted us to visit her friend who was in the hospital. We went and sang and then shared a scripture. She started to cry and said that we can come back and share more with her. I am looking forward to teaching her again soon. 

Our investigators are doing well, especially __________. I have never met anyone as prepared as she is for the gospel. We had some great lessons with her this last week. The only problem is that she works on Sundays, so she wasn't able to make it to church this week. She already talked to her boss to change her schedule before we even invited her to. He wouldn't let her get Sundays off this month but said he will when he makes the schedule for next month. 

She is also looking for another job just in case. I think he made an exception for the 19th of May for her baptism day. She told us that her baptism day is very special to her and that if her boss didn't let her get work off she wouldn't go. She told us that God is the one that gave her the job in the first place and that she knows this is what he wants her to do. She is so amazing and has so much faith! She has visited many different churches throughout her life but they never felt right and now she says that she knows this is the church for her and she knows it's true. It is amazing how the spirit can teach our investigators what they need to learn. _________ told us that she has never understood a lot of what she learned in church but now everything is so clear now and feels so right. She has been reading the book of mormon a ton and in our last lesson she explained everything she read and was so excited about it. It has been a blessing to be able to teach her and see her progress. She has been trying to get her daughter listen but she is really shy and doesn't want to yet. Her daughter said she might come to the baptism though and I know that if she does she will be able to feel the spirit there. Also we want to bring someone her age so that she can have a friend in the church and feel more comfortable. 

We are also teaching _______ and _________. ________ accepted a baptism date but he has such a hard time understanding the lessons. We try to teach very simply but he still doesn't understand a lot. It is good to have Veronica there because she can help him. _______ said yes to the baptism invite but not a date because she wants more time to learn. We are also still teaching Judy and she accepted a baptism date but has lots of problems with the word of wisdom. She is also getting surgery soon and so won't be able to come to church for a while but hopefully all will go well after her surgery.

Lets see what else... We went on exchanges this week and I was able to go back to my first area in Anaheim so that was fun. I have to do more exchanges now because so many sisters came out. It's great though because I learn a lot from all of the different sisters in the mission. President said that the coordinating sisters responsibilities are changing a bit. I guess they are going to start putting the coordinating sisters in twos like the zone leaders. I kinda hope that happens after I leave because I love training! He said it might start next transfer though so we'll see. Either way will be fine. :)

That is so awesome to hear that Alexa is going into the MTC this week! She will love it! I am super excited for her and am a little jealous that she is just now starting the best year and a half of her life. She will be a great missionary!!! :)

Well thats about it for the week. Love you all so much! :) 

~Hermana Layton