May 25, 2015.........Family History Work and Lorenzo Brown!

Hello friends and family!

 

 Another week down! I hope everyone is doing
well and had a good week! I know I am and I know my week was good
haha. So I hope this email thing works today cuz last week it didn't
and that stunk. But anyway, this past week was a good one! We taught a
lot of lessons (like usual) and found a few new people to teach! Which
is pretty sick. We hope to be setting dates with them this coming
week! And by the way it's already been another 6 weeks! This is week 6
of the transfer so Saturday we will find out which one of us is
getting transferred. There's some rumors floating around about Elder.
 P going ZL and me training in Olympia but idk I think president Berry
is more inspired than making decisions on what he thinks is best. The
 Lord is without a doubt involved so it could go either way we are
almost sure we're getting split up though. Which stinks. I've been
with elder P longer than I have any other comp and I don't think
there's anyone that can top him man he's my boy!! Haha. We've had some
fun times and some awesome experiences together. It will be sad to see
what happens. He just hit his year mark so he will leave 6 months
before me but I know we will be good friends after the mission. I have
met many elders and sisters here that will be lifelong friends (mostly
elders lol). If you ever want to make awesome friends just serve a
mission. You'll strengthen your friendship with Jesus Christ and also
find some new ones along the way haha. Yesterday in church the theme
was family history work. There were a lot of good talks given and I
learned a lot. It motivated me to actually look at my family tree on
family search and I found some wicked awesome stuff haha. Although I
cannot act on any family history work in the mission field I do my
best to research and learn what I can. But as I was looking I came
across someone named Joel Hills Johnson. I think he's like my 5th
great grandfather or something like that. Anyways I found out that he
actually wrote the lyrics for the hymn "High On a Mountain Top" and
like 700+ more hymns!!!! Hahaha pretty gnarly if you ask me. Just look
at the bottom of the hymn page and you'll see his name! Also another
like 4th great grandfather his name is Lorenzo Brown Sr I believe, and I
found out he participated in the temple work for the following people:
Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon Bonaparte, John Adams, and Matthew
Thornton.,,,,,,....pretty cool if you ask me haha. Anyway, do
family history work. More than just researching actually do something
with what you find. There are family members of ours waiting for the
opportunity and only we can provide that for them! I wish we had more
time to do work for the dead but that's not our calling right now! So
I have to wait until after my mission! ( not long at all)  it's going
by so fast I can't explain it. I Love you all and I hope you all are
doing awesome!

Elder Armijo

PICS:

1: what happens after it rains in Florida
2:me and pututau chillin
3: me and a pit bull
4: getting a smooch from the pit bull

 

 

 

 

May 18, 2015......" I hope my mission doesn't go by as fast as these first few months have"

Well another week down!! I'm approaching my 6 month mark! Just think
about that for a sec lol. I've been thinking about it a lot and holy
how it's flown by!! Like seriously I can still remember the first week
I was here and like everything we did and every person we saw. I
thought it would never end!!! Hahah but I'm already 1/4 of the way
done. This past week has been a good one. Semi normal but me and Elder
Pututau always see miracles whether it's a miracle contact or a miracle
that we wake up on time....wut.. Jk lol. But really we see so many
awesome things happen to us and the people we teach and our members.
We have been teaching non stop. Me and Elder Pututau have been
together for almost 12 weeks and every single week we have taught over
20 lessons. And that has been our goal for both transfers was to not
get below 20 lessons and we have reached it. Hard work pays off and
wasting time doesn't. Numbers reflect your love for the work you are
doing. ( I hate numbers but it's true). We have 2 people with a
baptismal date and one is "Ca" and the other is "M"  who we
just taught this morning. They are so awesome. I can't wait to see
them progress more in this gospel and in their lives. We just found
out that there from now on we as missionaries are now aloud to attend
baptisms for the dead at the temple with our recent converts!!!!!!!!
There are a few catches but they are manageable but holy cow how
awesome it was to hear that we are now able to attended baptisms with
recent converts. We only get to go to the temple 2 times a year but
now if we are baptizing monthly we will be able to go monthly!! I am
so stoked about that. Like its so awesome! "C" is already doing
family history work to get names and hopefully we can go with him
before me and elder P get transferred. I'm so grateful for this gospel
and for my opportunity to serve. I hope the rest of my mission doesn't
go by as fast as these first few months have. I love you all stay
awesome. Thank you Dad for the BP t-shirts!

Elder Armijo




P-day  New Border Patrol T-shirts from Dad

 Special Zone Conference with Elder Clarke of the 70 and his wife.  I was able to interview with him and receive a blessing. 

Elder and Sister Clarke and President and Sister Berry  May 2015

May 11, 2015......................They are called of God to do God's work here on earth"

Well hello family and friends!! And happy Mother's Day to my Mom and
every Mom and every woman out there! I was so happy I got to FaceTime
my Momma and my family yesterday! It was such a blessing! I wouldn't
be here without my Mom and I don't think any Missionary would be
either!
This past week was a good one. We saw a lot of people and taught a lot
of lessons (as usual). We got back into contact with "C" and she
set her own baptismal date! So that was a miracle in itself because
we weren't sure if we would ever see her again!! We had been praying
and praying and I know my Mom had been as well and I bet because it
was Mother's Day the lord decided to answer my Moms prayer . Because
she invited us over and we had such an awesome lesson. She is going
through a lot but it's good to see the light  of Christ still in her.
Also this week we had Zone Conference and Elder Clarke of Seventy was there and he pretty much lead the whole meeting. He gave us such good instruction on what we can do to better ourselves and the ward we are working in.

 After the meeting I was chosen to be interviewed. There were 5 missionaries out of 3 zones that were interviewed and it was my luck I was one of them! lol. I was scared when I found out but when the interview started it
turned out to be an answer to my prayers. He asked me about my family
and I told him a few things and we talked about basketball lol. Then
he asked me how my mission was going and I told him that there had
been a few rough spots and there still are but I'm hanging in there
and I told him I was still trying to leave home at home. He looked
at me and said " Elder I have only one thing to say and that is to
just suck it up" and then we moved on to the next question it
was pretty straight forward and I think it's the best counsel I could
have gotten. This isn't my time it's the Lords time. And then at the
end of the interview he asked if I had any questions and I asked him a
question that had been weighing heavily on my mind and heart which I
shared with my family but I won't put in this email for personal
reasons. He reassured me of a few things after my question and
then he stood up and said Elder I'm going to give you a blessing" He
  put his hands on my head and as soon as he did tears started to
flow, I felt and it felt as if Jesus Christ himself was standing
behind me giving me this priesthood blessing. And I believe he was.
These men that are in the leadership of the church are not called of
themselves. They are called OF GOD to do Gods work here on earth. The
 Priesthood is a real thing and it is found here in this church. That
blessing was from my Father in heaven because  Elder Clarke didn't
know what I was struggling with personally, but God knew and gave him
the knowledge and the words to say. This church is true. I can't deny
that nor will I ever. I love my family and I love this gospel and most
importantly I love my savior Jesus Christ.

Elder Armijo

 

 Here Kitty Kitty!

 Me and Elder Pututau at Stake Conf

 Skyping with my family.  I only had Cheez-its to eat all day

Skyping with his cousin, Elder Gunnar Scrogham in Chicago, IL

May 4th, 2015........'The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Gospel of Transformation"

Hello everyone! Another week down! This week went by pretty fast but we
didn't have much success. It was probably our worst week yet.
Appointments fell through and we lost a few people that we were
working with. We're pretty much starting from nothing now but we are
confident in the things we have planned for this coming week. We have
a lot and I mean ALOT of finding activities scheduled. Including
basketball at a park we found in the hood so turn up on the court
haha we will hopefully find some people to teach there. We had stake
conference also and we had a member of the 70 there Elder Hymas! And
mission conference as well with Elder Clarke of the 70.
     Not sure why this week was so bad. We do what we are supposed to
yet things just kept falling through. I never knew how much I could
care for someone else's salvation until this week. The people that we
had been working with just seemed so promising. But satan has power
and never underestimate him! He will throw things at people so that
the gospel does not touch their hearts the way it is supposed to. I
guess this is the reality of missionary work. You start working with
someone and you care so much about them. And they either continue to
progress or they don't. I continually repeat Elder Hollands words in
my mind when things go wrong. I've said this before in an email but he
said " I am convinced that missionary work is not an easy task because
salvation is not a cheap experience". As I repeat these words over and
over again they gain a new meaning and importance. This work is not
easy. Seeing people I care and want the best for pretty much shut out
the true gospel hurts like nothing I've ever felt before. It's not a
physical pain but a spiritual pain. I was reading the story of Enos
this past week. And I realized now how and why he cared so much about
his people and the record of his people. I never understood why if the
 Lord would give him anything the only thing he would ask for is that
the record of his people be kept safe and never destroyed. Of ALL the
things he could have asked for. But I now know. I have felt as though
I was the one ruining the records of these people. And if the lord
granted me one thing, just one thing, I would ask that these people
and everyone else accept this gospel and that satan would have no
power over them.
     This is the hardest thing about missionary work In my opinion.
Not the homesickness, not being without a phone, not being away from family.......but
seeing those you care so much about not accept this gospel. I
understand what it means to have your soul hunger. Because as Enos's
soul hungered for forgiveness, my soul hungers for the people here in
Orlando to hear and accept this gospel. Now for those who are
preparing to serve I will tell you to put aside childish ways and
habits and let the lord humble you. Until you care about others more
then yourself you will not be the missionary you are supposed to be.
It's going to be hard. Satan knows your weaknesses, but it is my
opinion that he does not know our strengths. And we are to use those
to our advantage in this ongoing war against evil. Trust in God and
his son Jesus Christ and they will make sure you are not alone. Again
I say that until you are humbled, truly humbled by the lord, you
cannot be the missionary you are meant to be. How can you do the Lords
work and try to humble others when you yourself have not been? I am
not perfect by any means. I mess up just as much as the next person.
But I can honestly say that the Lord has humbled me in a way I didn't
think was possible. " the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of
transformation". I bear humble witness of this. I love you all and may
we all continue to let this gospel humble us.

 Love Elder Armijo

 PS again: Mother's Day is coming up! So that means skype or FaceTime!
Can't wait to see everyone's face! Especially momma cuz Mother's Day

Pics:
1. Elder Yates, Me and Elder Pututau
2.  Mission Conference with Elder Pututau
3.   My new Friend Trevor.  He's a frog that stays on theme leaf and I see him every morning.   He's a nice frog.  Hopefully there are frogs in the Celestial Kingdom.
4.  Selfie from last Monday