Baptism!!!! Teach Repentance and Baptize converts January 25,2016

So this was a really good week. We had one of our baptisms.

 We saw a lot of really cool miracles. There was this one lesson we had this week with one of our investigators. He used to be taught in a family ward but was then passed on to the YSA. So anyways for this lesson we tried to find a member to come with us but literally no one was available. We had to teach an "other lesson" which means without a member which isn't good to have. Well we got to the lesson and as we were beginning to teach a member from the family ward came un-notified. He said he felt prompted to come talk with him. So we had a member present lesson. It was really cool because we did everything to try and find a member and couldn't but Heavenly Father helped us out a little. It was a great lesson. 

This week we also had a worldwide missionary broadcast with the missionary executive committee. The focus of the training was to teach repentance and baptize converts. We heard from Elder Oaks, Bednar, and Anderson. As well as Bonnie Oscarson, Elder Waddell of the 70, and Elder Clayton. They gave us all some great advice on how to move the work forward. It is a great time to be a missionary in the mission field. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to serve where I am serving. Its a bias opinion but I'm in the greatest mission in the world. 

What to expect coming up. We are for sure having our baptism this next week and we are on tract to have our baptisms the following two weeks as well. Hopefully you are all doing well. 

Have a great week.

-Elder Loertscher

​so we never got a picture with her in her whites. oops 

Funny Moment at the baptism

Forgot one of the highlights of the week. So at the baptism for some reason the door was locked to get into the font from the women's side. So we were going to try and unlock it from the inside. Well to get to that door we needed to somehow climb across the font without touching the water. The only way to do that was to hold onto the glass and walk across. Well as i was walking across. My leg slipped and fell into the water. Keep in mind i have my suit on. So my leg was wet all the way up to my calf. It was wet all during the baptism. We got a pretty good laugh out of it. No one noticed luckily. Good times. 

-Elder Loertscher

In The Miracle Business January 18, 2016

Wow. After such a rough week last week we saw so many blessings this week. So here's the update. One investigator (quartz hill) who has been reading and praying and investigated for a while finally got her answer this week. So we went over to teach her and she told us that when she prayed this time she felt something poke at her heart. She is getting baptized Saturday.

We were supposed to have another baptism for (YSA) on Saturday as well but there was some stuff that came up that prevented him from coming to church his 3rd time before baptism. Poor guy had a last minute emergency. His uncle had a heart attack. On the way down there he got a ticket. and his baptism had to move to the 30th. So it was a rough weekend for him but he is still so excited to be baptized. 

We also got a call from a member who said his grandson who is unbaptized wants to take the lessons. So before church on Sunday we taught him and he is going to be baptized on February 13th. He already knows everything is true he just needs to hear the last few lessons. So that was kinda handed to us. 

We also were handed a referral for this guy who is now going to YSA and he is getting baptized 3 weeks from now. He has already been to church at a family ward a lot so we have to teach him a few more lessons and he is good to go. He just has to over come w.o.w issues. 

So things are picking up pretty quick in this ward. Elder Boy and I should have 4 or 5 baptisms within the next 6 weeks. 

It was funny as we were getting lunch one day this week we had a lady flag us down and talk with us. Guess who it was??? I'm sure you'll never get it so i will tell you. It was Catherine Glover. Anyone know who that is?? She was the bass player for the band Prince. She has actually been taught by missionaries a bunch but never decided to get baptized. She was really nice and very talkative. So that was kind of cool to talk with her. 

This week we had zone conference with President and Sister Wilson and all the senior missionaries. Elder Boy and I had to give a 40 minute training on "how to teach repentance correctly". We were assigned this topic because Dallin H. Oaks said "the reason we have seen a decrease in the number of convert baptisms is because missionaries have drawn away from the sole purpose of teaching the doctrine of repentance." So we were asked to train zones on how to teach. So that was fun. We met at a Stake Center in east Lancaster. It was literally the biggest stake center I've ever seen. The meeting went really well. It lasted a very long time though. It was from 1 to 4:30. 

This week the scripture that impacted me a lot comes from Malachi 3:8-10 or 3 Nephi 24 8:10

from verse 10

"prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

I love the wording of prove me. The Lord is bound when we do what he says and he will provide us the blessing for keeping his commandments. If you're struggling with obedience to some of Gods laws evaluate where you're at and makes those necessary changes. I know I want blessings haha.

I hope you all have a great week. 

"Another Day In Paradise"

-Elder Loertscher

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SNOW!!!!!! January 11,2016

This week was very interesting. On Tuesday we had the last transfer meeting this mission will ever have. We will now with transfers just go to our new area. On Wednesday we had MLC. It was so great to be at that meeting. Last month we had 61 BAPTISMS as a mission. That is the highest its ever been. And as a mission we've found 1704 new investigators in a month. Back at the beginning of my mission we were having 20 to 30 baptisms and only finding around 500 a month as a mission. The mission expectation has changed so much. While we were in MLC it started to snow. MLC is in Tehachapi which is one of two places it snows in our mission. It was so great to see snow. We broke out into an awesome snowball fight after. Then we had to plan for zone training meeting which was on Friday. This week we didn't have a whole lot of time to work.

So my whole mission I've never come across a "HARD" week. I've never really thought this work was hard. If we served with all our heart might mind and strength the Lord would ease our burdens. This week was different though. It was the hardest week I've had on my mission. I've never been sworn at and rejected so much. So as a mission a few transfers ago we started the whole 3 new investigators a week thing. The Lord has never made me work so hard to find people to teach. 

I was reminded of the story in the Book of Mormon with ..

ALMA 26:27

"27:Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success."

 There were so many times when Elder Boy and I had talked to so many people and got rejected so many times that we felt like we needed to go to a different area. But we shouldn't leave an area without first finding our purpose of why we went there.So literally the last door we knocked or the last person we talked to was the one that was interested. It was really cool to see that scripture in affect. 

I know this church is true. So many times this week people denied what we said to be true and bashed with us. But there is one thing they cant say isn't true and that is my testimony. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary and to testify to people about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I hope you all have a great week.

-Elder Loertscher

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​Here is our new zone. 

2016!!!!!

Man its 2016. I cant believe it. So to start this email off i would like to share a funny/not so funny story. We were having a lesson with one of our investigators. She has a lot of fears towards baptism so we trying to help her with those. During the lesson Elder Boy asked what makes her happy. She says her 5 month old son. Then she lifts him over her head and he throws up. When he throws up he throws up into her mouth all over her hair and down her shirt. The member we were with is a returned missionary. He lost it and started laughing. If you know me you know I don't do well in serious moments and not laughing. So i started laughing and then Elder Boy started laughing. It was a mess. Luckily she took it as the joke it was and started laughing as well. So that was the highlight of the week. Another cool story. We were on exchanges. It was late at night. Super cold. We were walking around and there was a family who just got out of there car so we flagged them down and talked with them. We just talked outside in there drive way. So it was really cold outside and I was getting impatient. They asked us if we wanted water so we said yes and they brought out hot tea because they didn't have water. Don't worry we didn't drink it. But it did keep our hands really warm which helped a ton. That  was on Tuesday , Saturday night we stopped by there house once again and shared with them how this church isn't like any other church. Its the true church. She has been baptized 5 times and is frustrated because every church it the true church. So its a family of 5 and they came to church Sunday.  We told them to try it out. We think they liked it a lot. We also have someone this week who got an answer that these things are true and are set to be baptized on January 23rd.  So things are going well. Transfers are tomorrow. Elder Boy and I are staying another one together. It should be a fun one. Have a great week

-Elder Loertscher

​There is an air force base out here so there is always air force planes flying around. You know your at a missionary meeting when 1) all the cars are white 2) most of them are Chevy Cruize's.