The last couple of weeks have just flown on by! We are teaching more than I ever have in my entire mission! I think God just blesses you towards the end to give you an extra push. We also are getting ready for the new mission to open in a couple of weeks. We have a lot of paperwork for  to do to get everything ready. between  that and teaching every minute of every day has been booked. I love this ward. I'm not sure how much I have reported lately so let me tell you about some of the people we are teaching:

Roxie: Roxie is doing great. we have taught her for over a month and she is scheduled to be baptized this weekend! If all goes well that is. You would be surprised how temperamental these things can sometimes be. She has shown a lot of faith so far with some family opposition. She was almost going to wait a year to be baptized. We needed to be bold so we read these verses where Jesus addresses this issue:

 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
 36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

She changed her whole mind set and she is on course to follow Jesus Christ. If not this weekend then the next.

Susan: Susan we met because her friend invited her to take the lessons. She has been doing great! we have only taught her for three weeks and she is in Jacob 5! She made it through the Isaiah wall. :) It has been neat teaching Susan because she didn't grow up with a christian background. We have started at square one teaching her about who God is and who Jesus Christ is. At first she was confused but now she is gaining real faith in Jesus Christ. She has decided to be baptized in the coming weeks. 

Jessica: Jessica is Jason's sister, a who is a recent convert. She has a rougher background but I can see her as she may become. :) We are working hard to help her to quit smoking. She has cut down immensely. You may want to keep her in your prayers. 

Anabell: Anabell is Jose's Sister. Jose is a member who I invited to the singles ward and he has flourished there. He is the only member in his family and he is a rock. We began teaching Anabell and now Anabell has been at every activity since! We have been having a hard time helping her feel the spirit. This is a common concern and we will keep working on it with her.

Jason: Jason is a new investigator we got this last week! Some other missionaries said we should contact him and he just came to basketball! we have only taught him once so far but he says he wants God in his life and he wants to learn more. I look forward to getting him involved in the ward.

 We have been blessed with a lot of people to teach in the last few weeks. I know most all of these people will be baptized, but the question is always when. :) I hope that gives you a quick update of some of the work we have been doing lately.

Now to a couple of other random stories.

The stake president here is a very intimidating man to say the least. He is tall and he has broad shoulders. He is a part owner in a fortune 500 company. When you walk into a room with him he has more of a presence than any one else I have met. I have been asking if we could have a private meeting with him for weeks and he took us to lunch a couple of p-days ago. In that meeting we gained his trust and he asked us to just attend a stake priesthood meeting that missionaries wouldn't normally attend. We walk in just as they are about to start and we are sitting clear in the back by the basketball hoops. after the prayer was said President Garrick leans over to his councilor and whispers something. President Faylor stands and says "Could we please have the Zone Leaders join us on the stand?"  With an apprehensive sigh we make the long awkward walk up the isle to join the stake president on the stand. I know what you are thinking: "why did he ask you to come up?" we were wondering the same thing. Luckily a couple of speakers took longer than they should have and the window that President Garrick had for us to speak came to a close. :) So we sat on the stand and then we left the stand. If nothing else it has helped me know that the Stake is on our side and we are hastening the work together. 

My Second story is very close to my heart. Because President Godwin is going home this transfer he wanted to take our group that came out of the MTC together to the temple and do one last interview with all of us. It was surreal being there in the Temple with missionaries whom I have  learned to love and respect. Before this experience I have thought a lot about my mission and many thoughts came to mind of the weaknesses that effected my mission greatly. I have prayed seeking to feel consolation for the mistakes I have made. I don't think there is a missionary on this planet who doesn't have these thoughts come to them from time to time. To find an answer to my prayers I went to the scriptures. I read about perfection. We are commanded to be perfect. In my studies I found that there were many translations to perfect through the scriptures and my heart was drawn to one translation of Perfect: the word "whole." I will let you figure out what my answer was. I could do a dissertation on this topic and other thoughts I had but I won't. Suffice it to say I felt a strong acceptance of my mission from the Lord in the Temple. It was accompanied by an hour long interview from President Godwin. I love that man. He has changed my life in many ways. It was weird doing things that would traditional be reserved for departing missionaries, but I am back in my area ready to give the first transfer of the Rancho Cucamonga mission, my best. 

This has been long. and I am sure I am missing other things I could write about. But it is time to go! I love you all and I hope My dad had a wonderful Fathers Day! I love you Dad!!

-Elder Roos