Little Bit Of Monica In My Life

Hey everyone!

It's been the best week ever, even if it's the last one with Elder Simpson. I'll miss him, because transfers have rolled around again, and I'll be leaving California City to head back to Bakersfield!  I'm going to Monica ward, and my companion will be Elder Wright, who came into the mission at the same time as elder Simpson. The ward is in east Bakersfield, making Ridgecrest the only zone I haven't been to yet. I'm pretty excited to be back in town, even though I've loved it here. Our district is only sisters besides us, so it'll be quite the change of pace!

We had a really busy week, getting ready for transfers and going on exchanges. It was really wild.We first went on exchanges down in Lancaster with the Zone Leaders. We went down the night before so that we could start then, President wanted us to try something new. We didn't have dinner that day though, so we stopped by a sushi place in Lancaster and got to do a little bit of missionary work while we were there. There was some live music, and one of the band members was pretty surprised to see us, so he asked us some questions and then played us a song. It was pretty cool.

The elder I was on exchanges with was recovering from an illness and surgery, but we still manages to get out and work for a little while, which was cool. We spent a while talking to a couple of guys in front of someone's house about Christ and His Atonement and what it does for us. In the end they weren't that willing to listen, but it was a good conversation. While we were talking though, a B2 flew right over head! It was flying so low, it was incredible. I wanted to take a picture but I didn't want to be rude, so that's why there's not a picture of it for y'all this week :/

We had exchanges with the elders on Rosamond, too. They're great missionaries, so it's always really fun to worn with them. I was here in town with Elder Busdicker, and we had a great time finding new people and getting in contact with a couple former investigators. Even having been here for six months, there are still a ton of people I've never met. We were trying to co tact a potential investigator at one point, but she'd moved, so we just talked to the woman there. Turns out, not only had she met with missionaries before, the elder I was with haf actually taught her on an exchange in Lancaster! It was cool to see how God really watches over each and every one of his children.

I've had some ups and downs in this area, but it's been a great time overall. Really, if I've learned anything here, it's been about happiness. So much in life is out of our control. God's given us the capacity to chose our responses, though. We can train ourselves to respond positively to circumstances through practice and the influence of the Spirit. Lasting joy and satisfaction really do come from the gospel of Jesus Christ and by playing our parts in His kingdom. Having that consistent purpose and drive has made me such a cheerful person. I can't even tell you. I'm so grateful to have spent this part of mission here, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for me in my new area.

Thank you for all your support!
Elder Adams