Photos with Sister Trease, New Companion Elder Raab, his District before transfers, and the Dooley Family

Email August 25, 2014

Hello! :D How is everyone doing? I hope you are doing great because that's how it's supposed to be! :) So the last few days have been VERY interesting to say the least. It seems to be a normal thing for new missionaries in the field to have a crazy first few days. To explain, we have done a TON of street contacting and we have ran into a lot of very...nice and...interesting people who ask us about our beliefs on multiple subjects. It has been great, though, considering we have found a few less active members who want to return to activity AND handed out more Book of Mormons in the last week than House and I did the whole transfer. More people talked to + more Book of Mormons handed out = more possible investigators both now and in the future. I heard that Elder Dube of the Seventy, who spoke a couple conferences ago, was given a Book of Mormon in his youth by some missionaries but didn't read it until many years later, at which point he converted to the Church. So who knows? One of these less active members who unfortunately DIDN'T want to come back to church actually approached us. Well, more like jumped up from the curb and offered us a plum, "DO YOU GUYS WANT A PLUM?!?!" holding out her little bag full of 'fresh picked' plums. We took one, but didn't eat them haha. And we talked with them for a little while and gave out a Book of Mormon, but they were headed to the coast (mind you these people were homeless. No, I'm not kidding. Sorry I left that detail out haha) so wouldn't come to church the next day. But a couple of awesome things happened regarding investigators. We started working with a guy named Brad who reads a BUNCH of 'ancient texts.' Like the Lost Book from the Garden of Eden, the Book of Adam and Eve, the Book of Enoch, the Prophecies of Nostradamus, the Book of Secret Magic (keep that one in mind) - a bunch of 'ancient' texts. And he wants to learn about the Book of Mormon. So we went over and we talked with him about it, but the whole time he was drunk, smoking, and yelling to someone across the street how to fix their car. And he would bring up books he had read before and how they said the same things and all that jazz. When we talked about the Book of Secret Magic, he said "I would let you guys hold it, but you're not worthy to. It was honestly the only book I ordered online. I don't order things online, just that book. And my cell phone." Haha it was a funny moment. We talked about the Book of Mormon, set a return appointment, and left haha. Nice guy though. And lastly a lady named Jennifer. I may have talked about her already. If not, in brief, the first contact I made with her was with Elder House at her work where we gave her a Book of Mormon and she asked us to help her tar cracks in her trailer's roof. So we did, Elder House and I the first time, and gave her a Restoration pamphlet and told her to write down any questions she had. We set up a time for the next week and when Elder Raab and I showed up she had been having a terrible day, but was happy to see us. We helped tar her roof a little bit but mostly talked about the church and the gospel which was amazing. Nick and Steve's baptisms came up and we said they would be our first baptisms and she said, "Well you can add another!" And we were both like, whaaaat...? Confused. Obviously. And she said, "I'll do it, I'll be baptized." We were both happy and excited, but we don't think she quite understands all that needs to happen haha. But we had a great talk with her about baptism and how it cleans the slate and right as we talked about it, she said she was getting goosebumps. BOOM! Spirit was telling her our message is true. It was awesome. So we are going to continue teaching her and she is a new progressing investigator. Miracles, miracles! I love the mission! I love training! I don't mean this in a bad way, but I love it partly because when we are doing the 'training' hour of study, it has helped me see how far I have come since getting out on my mission. Not that he's a bad missionary because he is a GREAT missionary. But there are just things that you learn in time while you serve and it has been amazing to see that I have reached a point I was worried that I might never reach. So it has been a huge blessing to be Elder Raab's trainer and companion. He's a great missionary and helps me to be my best, just like I'm helping him be his best. The gospel is true, the mission is awesome, the church is true, the Book of Mormon is really what it says it is and I know it with all my heart and I cannot deny it! Love you guys! Love, Elder Cevering

Email August 23, 2014

Hello Everybody! Got some big news this week, but other than that I don't have much else to report. SO! Steve and Nick are still on date to be baptized on September 13th and going strong! Thank you for all of your prayers on their behalf, please continue to pray for them though! Thank you s'much! Cool story: It was Steve's birthday this last week and they had us over for dinner on his birthday. His wife wanted to kind of decorate their apartment and get all the gifts set out and whatnot and so she needed him out of the apartment for a little while. So we went over early and walked with him to Safeway, a store I haven't heard until I got here to California (it's like Kmart, just a small convenience and grocery store), and bought some soda for the dinner, just to get him out of the house long enough. On our way back, we get started talking to this guy and he asks us if we are Mormon, we say that we are, and he says okay. Then he asks who the guy with us is (Brother Dooley) and he said, and I quote, "Oh, I'm a member of their church." Whaaaaaaaa?! Booya. It was amazing. Your support for us and prayers for them have been incredibly helpful. Thank you so much! :) And there are a few more people who are looking like they might have some good potential, like one that we did some service for this week we left with a Book of Mormon, Restoration pamphlet, and committed her to read the pamphlet and write down questions for us for next time. Her name is Jennifer and she has a lot of family in Utah who are Mormon so it could be a really great opportunity! Off to a great start, just keeping the faith and prayers up. Also another guy who is the husband of a less active member - she is less active due to health issues and we visit her weekly because of both health and less activity - is starting to ask questions. And as far as I know, this is the farthest step he has taken in learning about the church. He brings her to Sacrament when they can make it, but other than that he hasn't done anything. But he likes us, the missionaries, and likes how the church helps everyone out so much. So that is some good potential too! And we have a few other people who we're hoping will turn out pretty well. So it's exciting. :) So the BIG news for this week (not that the baptism isn't big news because it is huge news) comes in the form of transfers: *drum roll* I'm training a new missionary these coming 2 transfers!!! :D I'm so excited, but SO nervous too! I have no idea how I'm going to do it, all I know is that I'm going to be spending so much more time on my knees and it is going to be amazing. I am very humbled that The Lord and President Marston feel I am ready to train, I wish I had their faith haha. But I will be doing my very best! I would be so grateful if you guys could pray for me that I'll be able to be led by the Spirit, that my new missionary and me will be able to get along and be obedient and work hard! I can't wait. :) You know what else this means? I'm driving! :D haha and NOT backing! :D But really though, I'm so humbled and grateful for this opportunity. I can't wait to start working with him, whoever it is. I love the work, the church is true, Christ's love is unmeasurable, and the Atonement makes everything good, and will make everything good. :) Love you guys, I can't thank you enough for your support and prayers! Love, Elder Cevering

Email August 11, 2014

Greetings from Grass Valley, Golden State! Man, how true though? California is kind of awesome. Just saying. The Auburn zone is so pretty, we actually just went and saw "Big Tree Trail" which is a really short trail but we saw some big trees...go figure! Not quite redwoods like the other missionaries said they were, but they were still really big and sweet! I got some pictures and will send them. :) And goodness the drive to them was gorgeous too!!! AH. It was awesome. Oh and I got bit by a wasp! :D That was exciting. A couple other missionaries did too, haha. So in news concerning investigators: No one besides Brother Steve Dooley and his son Nick Sparks is progressing. We have different ways we're going to try to help the other ones progress and we're constantly trying to find new investigators, but we aren't seeing a lot of success. So we have started working on a new OYMing approach (I think I said what OYMing is...? It stands for Opening Your Mouth - it's street contacting) where we show a quick mormon message based on family or whatever we decide and we ask a few of their opinions on the topic we decide to show the video on. We have heard similar approaches have seen success in other areas/missions so we want to try something like it, but with a video to try to add a little more of the Spirit that those videos can bring. We're excited to start trying it soon and I'll let you know how it goes! Having mentioned that Brother Dooley and Nick are still progressing, I have some news: Brother Dooley basically set his own baptismal date for September 13th!!! And if we can get permission and things to work out, Nick will be able to be baptized by him the same day! Man that would be incredible! Please pray that it will be able to work out that way! It would help them strengthen their relationship so much. But really though, this whole time we've been working with them it has been incredible to see Brother Dooley's change. He started off ready to pick the church apart and prove it wrong but in all of his investigations (mind you other than the 10-year-old-ized lessons we have given to his son that he sat in on he has investigated all on his own) he just kept finding truth after truth with no faults (crazy how that works out in the true church...). And he prayed and received an answer that it is true. I have absolutely loved seeing the change take place. It is incredible and indescribable. I love the Dooley family, they are the best!!! I am so excited for Brother Dooley and Nick to receive a remission of their sins through baptism of water and spirit and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. And Sister Dooley is returning super strong as well. They're just an amazing family. They actually texted us the other night asking if we had a dinner appointment, which we didn't, so they invited us over and took us out to Maria's, a place a lot like Bella's. It was so awesome, both being with the Dooley's and the restaurant haha. They're an incredible family, I love them so much. Title story! We got a text from President Marston late Saturday night saying he was going to be to our PEC and ward council the next day so we texted him back saying that would be great and asking if he knew what time it was at. He texted back with the completely wrong times and also asking if it was the "Liberty Ward" to which we said no and that he had texted the Grass Valley ward. It was 10:24 when we texted him that and our curfew, at which we are to be in bed and obviously not texting anyone, is at 10:30. He texts back at 10:34 apologizing that he got the wrong set of elders and told us, "Hurry to bed - mission rules you know." To which we didn't reply because it was after 10:30, haha. It was super funny! At least to us it was. Those darn mission rules! Haha no, I'm kidding. Mission rules are great and I have recently noticed how much they have really helped me out. It's awesome. Well, everyone. This week was pretty incredible, being blessed to have Steve and Nick be set on date for baptism and all. And it's going to be in my second transfer here so I'll probably be able to see it happen this time! :D Hahaha. Miracles are real and the gospel is true. This church truly can change people and bring joy, peace, and comfort into their lives when they don't think those things can be found anywhere. I have seen it do just that and more. I know the church is true! I love you guys! Love, Elder Cevering

Email August 4, 2014

Hi Family, Well, this week was full of twists and turns. Surprises, you could say. Some good, some bad. But the good definitely outweighs the bad by far. I guess I'll start off with the bad surprises: So we had a referral this week from the Nevada City elders (the elders we live with because our areas touch each other) to go help someone move something big into their home. Sweet! We went and met a guy named Giovanni (I know, he has a sweet name) and helped him move a $30,000 printer into the house he shares with a "business partner" as he described it. Her name is Holly and apparently she is a less active member. She is the one who initially called for our help, and we only saw her for a split second through an upstairs window. We moved the printer in, he asked us if we had a Book of Mormon for him as well as for her because he wanted to learn more about "Nephi building an ark to get from Jerusalem to America" and "Moroni (he said it like moroney) appearing to Joseph Smith to tell him where the gold plates were." We grabbed some copies and gave them to him and set up a return appointment. He was really nice and seemed like he truly wanted to learn more. Everything seemed promising! Like always, "seemed." Return appointment rolls around. We get up to the door only to see an upside-down cross hanging from the window on the door, animal hooves, bones, and jawbones hanging from the doorbell, and a pile of flower petals on the ground beneath the bones. It was weird. We knocked, rang the doorbell, no answer. We left and tried again another day and the things were still up so we have decided that we won't go back until the stuff comes off because it was just weird and we were not getting good vibes from it. We asked our Ward Mission Leader and he said that google said the bones are probably part of Voodoo practice so we have decided to steer clear of there for a little while. Sadly, things there seemed so promising. So that was definitely interesting and surprising! And another surprise that isn't the best, but is still good in the long run is that Nick Sparks, the boy we had on date to be baptized on August 30th, has said that he wants his dad to baptize him. And his dad is the nonmember who we are working with as well. "Well, that's no problem!" You might say. True...if only his dad was ready to be baptized. He isn't quite sure about being baptized yet, though... But that is where some good surprises come in! We invited Steve Dooley, the dad, to pray about being baptized and about the church on Wednesday night and he said he would. So we went back on Friday night, I think, and had another great conversation/lesson with them. He told us a funny story that goes like this: He didn't pray the night or following night after he said he would and while he was at work he had the primary song "Follow the Prophet" stuck in his head. All day. He even tried to play his own music over it and the three worded chorus only got louder! Haha it was pretty funny and amazing. He has told us that since beginning reading the Book of Mormon and investigating the church on his own, his thoughts and take on things has started changing. Like, lyrics to songs he loves that he never thought would be about God or religion, he started thinking COULD be talking about those things. It has been an incredible change. He is an amazing man. And then on Sunday Elder House had to use the restroom after Gospel Principles, which Brother Dooley went to, and he actually came in when we were about to head out. So to be funny, I started humming "Follow the Prophet" and we had a good laugh. But then he told us something amazing: Although not completely ready to be baptized, he emailed a friend of his who converted about 14 years ago and asked him, if he decides to be baptized, to baptize him!!! SO CRAZY FLIPPIN' AMAZING!!! House and I walked down the hall after hearing that, pulling our jaws along with us. It was incredible. Then that night we had dinner with them because no one else signed up and they invited us over. And while we ate, they were like "Hey let's watch some of the last General Conference." And you know what we did? WE WATCHED SOME OF THE LAST GENERAL CONFERENCE. And it was awesome. So even though Nick's baptism is going to be put off for a while, things are happening to help them both progress incredibly. Keep up the prayers for Brother Dooley and Nick Sparks. Miracles have happened because you guys are praying for them and they will continue if you continue! This week has been great! I love you guys and I am so thankful for your support. It means the world to me and has helped me more than any of you could know. I love you guys! Love, The One and Only Elder Cevering (now, at least :))