Last time on The District: What do you expect when we come to meet with you? To try to convince me. That's absolutely not why we're here. Hopefully we're not losing our relationship. Ofelia needs something, and we haven't quite figured out what it is yet. Next time we meet, will you give up coffee? We'll see. Maybe when I read this, I'll see that God says in here somewhere that all those D&C's are necessary. We wanted a lot of investigators at the baptismal service. Five people said that they'd be coming, and we were really excited. The baptismal service started, and there was no one there. After the actual ordinance, Eric Guevara showed up. We felt that we needed to just ask him what's going on and if he really needs our help.

When I was really young, my family was active in the Church. But as we got a little older, we started camping and started doing other things on weekends. And during that time when I was in my young teenage years, I had a good group of friends that were really active in the Church, and their example was what saved me. When I was 15, I made the resolve that I wanted to go on a mission. I went for about a year solid and received the priesthood. I was excited and doing well, and then ... I don't know, just like in the Book of Mormon, when you do well, you fall down again, and that's kind of what I did.

The Eten family are, like Elder Hepworth and I like to say, a tender mercy of the Lord. They were found while an elder was street contacting in a park. Sister Eten, Justina, she actually knew a lot about the Church. She grew up in it but never got baptized. And Keith, her husband, didn't know anything about it. There have been so many times in my life where the missionaries have come to me, and I have shut my door in their face. Had you heard the term prophet before we came over, Keith? Yeah. We actually talked about that a few days ago, remember? We were at the bookstore. The bookstore! We were at the—What did you talk about? We were talking about—we saw what? We were looking at those pictures in the back. We were like, Why are they selling these pictures? Pictures of what? What pictures in the back? Old men in ties? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, oh yeah. So, then we started talking about prophets and how it made sense because why would God say, Well, I'm only going to give you prophets until like A.D. 200, and then you have to be on your own? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're on your own now. And we said, That doesn't make sense. So, we did talk about it. Actually it's kind of funny; we talked about prophets this week. Yeah. Go figure. God answers prayers in many different ways, but one of the biggest ways for me is through the Book of Mormon. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. That's a pretty neat promise. Remember that no matter what you're going through in your life, if you need an answer to a question, if you are pondering something that's troubling you in your mind, know that you can rely on the words of Christ, and they will tell you everything. Right. I have one question, just something that's been on my mind for a while. The whole tattoo thing, what is the Church's stand on that? Well, the Church's stand on it— Because I have a— I'm not done! And we read what President Hinckley had said about it. I think he said something like, Fathers, advise your sons to not go out and just start doing it. But it wasn't so clear to us, and it seems like a weird thing. It's real petty, but you know ... It's one of those things you like, and ... It is, it is. It's one of those things I've always liked. The Church hasn't made an official stand, but it's one of those gray areas where God trusts us to make a choice, and it's up to us. I felt like we handled it poorly. I don't feel like we had that much confidence in answering his question directly. When he asked that question, after I responded, I definitely sensed that it wasn't the right route. I felt like we could have answered him better. Are all of you going to go to church? Sure, as I told you, we have to change. And yes, I do want to go to church. But the next step, I need to talk to my husband and invite him. I feel if they see me go over there, they're going to follow me because everybody likes time with mom. I'm tired. I'm tired beyond all belief. He came to church. We taught him the last couple of days. I imagine that most of these logs will be of when I am tired. So it's cool. I'm just tired. I'm going to erase this anyway.

How're you doing? Pretty good. Yourself? Doing good. Sunday night we got a phone call, and it was from Eric Guevara. We walked past his door, and he was holding a couple of beers in his hands! It was interesting because when we walked up to his house, we saw the Gospel Principles book open on his porch. In his room, pamphlets we had given him were out; the Book of Mormon was open. He told us, Look, I'm drunk right now. I have so many things going on. I've been smoking. I want to make things right with God. So, what made you want to call us back? I was reading the book, and I may have a few questions. He has gone through a lot of stuff. The big part that sticks out that I remember him telling us about was his divorce and how much he misses his children. What are those questions that you want to know? The baptism thing, how does it work? So, why is baptism something you're asking about? I have some problems, and I just want to know if ... How can it help me with my faith? Knowing that he's reaching out to us puts a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. Because we're representatives of Jesus Christ, it's our job to reach out to people and to give them the aid and comfort that they need, as if Jesus Christ were here. And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father? What is Jesus Christ asking all of us to do? Follow Him. He's calling us to follow Him, and we can do that by being baptized. I remember when we first met you on the street, you said that you went walking that day to look for someone that could help you change your life. Yes, I did. So, Eric, will you follow that example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God? I would.

Ofelia—I'll be honest, I was frustrated with her, which I shouldn't have been, but I was. Last Sunday, she seemed like the most sure that she's ever been that she was going to come to church. And then she called us 15 minutes before and canceled. My husband has been Catholic forever, and his mother and father and everybody. And I feel scared to talk to him. ... name of Jesus Christ, amen. Amen.

I'm sorry you had a bad week. It happens. I don't have them very often. They act in a caring manner, which I find very charming in such young men. It's just that I feel like I'm not succeeding, and then they have worked me so hard. I've been kind of wimpy for about a week. I'm fine. That's another thing these sweatshirts are good for. She lives alone; she doesn't have too much human interaction, and I think she feels alone. She feels like she's abandoned, like she doesn't have anyone to turn to. For lack of a better term, we have your back. We really do care about you, and we do want what's best for you, even though we're just 20-year-old ... snot-nosed kids. Snot-nosed kids. I'm a big fan of these two guys. I think they're exemplary young gentlemen. There're several things I admire about them, but they're good listeners. And they seem to listen with their heart as well as their ears. We're very happy that you're even willing to continue to meet with us. I just know that these things are true, and they'll bless your life. I want them to be true. I hope that I hear from Jesus that Joseph Smith was His true prophet and that this is His chosen group. Hello! Hi! Justina, how're you doing? Good to see you guys. We have very special missionaries here. I mean, all missionaries are special, but especially Elder Bott and Elder Hepworth have really— I pretty much just say— put up with our family. Everybody says, Well, Jesus drank wine. No, it was grape juice. He drank grape juice. Here we go again. Let's not get into the conversation; we do this every time. We always bring this up. Back then, grape juice wouldn't hold. It had to be wine. I made the comment that Jesus Christ didn't drink wine; he drank grape juice. And it not only ruined the lesson but it made it so inefficient to bring it back. It was impossible for us just to put that to the side and move on because we went off on it for about five minutes. Complete mistake on my part. You couldn't cool it, so it had to be wine. So, he always says, It's grape juice! Well, it's wine. We, as missionaries, are allowed to make mistakes, but it's important to remember that if the Spirit's there, it's okay to make that mistake because the good feeling's there.

Has anything changed so far since the last time that we've met? I haven't been drinking the last three days. That's fantastic! What motivated you to stop drinking for the past few days? I just have a clear mind without it. I'm so happy, I'm speechless because of how good that is. As I grew up and I went to high school, I realized that I didn't really have any direction to my life. I didn't really know what to do with my life. I was going to church each Sunday with my family. I was doing these things because my parents wanted me to do it. And so I decided I was going to read the Book of Mormon for the first time. I started out just reading a column each night. And I went to a chapter, sometimes more, and I just kept reading it. I wanted to know if it was true. I knelt down and prayed to know if it was true. As I prayed, I felt an answer that the Book of Mormon was true, that everything that my parents had been teaching me was true, that it would bless my life. I felt comforted that good things were ahead.

I don't get why I'm so happy.

It's kind of strange because I'm tired all the time. … determine what happened. And so that's why we have to have a— Jynx called me on the phone and said, You know, guys, I got an answer. She said, The Mormon's not for me. Everything got quiet, and I was thinking, No! I don't want her to feel this way. I don't want to lose her. I was thinking We can't lose her. One of her friends gave her a preacher CD, one of those preachers on TV. So, listening to that kind of rekindled that childhood that you had, and you kind of took that for your answer. Is that correct? Yeah, it was like coming home after being on a trip. We're just going to listen to what she's saying, and when we listen to her, I think we'll know what to say. As you called me, I was thinking about what you said to me. I was praying very hard about what we would talk about. I thought to myself about the Book of Mormon and about the role that it has in our conversion, not only to the gospel of Jesus Christ but in really knowing that all that we have told you is true. Do you feel like you've put in your effort to God to read the Book of Mormon, to really know if it's true? Sincerely, on the reading part, no. You're holding in your hands the evidence of what we're telling you is true, and you haven't read it. The only way you're going to know that what we're telling you is true is you've got to read the thing that holds it all together. It's all weighing on this: Joseph Smith, the Restoration, everything is weighing on what you're holding in your hand. You'd think they would have told me this sooner. All of you have just been saying it and saying it, and I've just not been doing it. You've said you're stubborn, and you may notice we're being kind of stubborn, too. You're awfully persistent. But it's because we know how much this can bless your life. I know I'm only 20 years old. And I know I haven't been around the block as much as ... Careful. Others. Others outside this building! Me! Other people; you're only 10 years older than me. But I can promise you with all the surety of my heart that this is true, and it can bless your life, and that is why we are not giving up on you— because you mean a lot to us. We care about you, and we pray about you every day because we really love you. That's sweet. Thank you. If they feel that way, just imagine how much your Heavenly Father feels about you. He loves me. So He's waiting and willing to answer your prayers. Don't be afraid to get on your knees and pray for as long as it takes. He's been pretty silent. Well, not really. He sent these two boys to you. We've been pretty loud! Yeah. That's a good point. And He sent them to me! And He sent them to you. He sent them because He knows you're ready. Okay. Give me a couple of weeks to read. Okay. All any of them were asking me to do was read the Word before I shut the door. And I haven't done that. There's no way I can lie and say that I have done that. They have indicated that I should read the Word all along, and I always mean to. So will you read the Book of Mormon every day and pray to our Father in Heaven to find out if it's true? Yes. Okay. That was amazing! It was so intense in there, and because we listened, she stayed. I think if we didn't listen, if we didn't really find out what she's telling us, she would be gone.

Well, last night we had the fall carnival, and there were a lot of people there— a lot of nonmembers and investigators, as well. Eric Guevara came with his roommate, Chris, and that was really exciting. I was a little nervous, at first, because Eric and Chris, they're both kind of quiet and shy people, and I thought we'd just be dragging them around everywhere the whole night. But somewhere in the middle of the night, they opened up, they were laughing, they had fun. Eric helped us judge the costumes. I met a lot of nice people that are always nice, and I think they're always true, too. Mostly their intention is to help me. That's just one example of how activities help people feel comfortable with the Church, help people to really see that we're real people, and that sometimes it's good to just have some fun. When I was 17 1/2, I said I wanted to go on a mission. My mom was less-active as well. And I told her, Let's go to church. So, that first of the year, we went. We both talked to the bishop and told him what I wanted to do, and we set goals. I didn't miss a Sunday till I left on my mission. And it was something that I'm very, very grateful for,

just because of the life that I would have had without the mission.

I'm very grateful I came. And now, my mom—excuse me.

My mom is active in the Church now, and my little brother is going on a mission as well.

For Eric to be baptized on November 7, action needs to be taken immediately to help him to stop smoking. We've talked with the bishop to find other converts that have had Word of Wisdom problems before they were baptized and were able to overcome those. And so he's going to need all the support he can get, but also people he can be held accountable to to help him make these changes as well. Something that we talked about was the smoking and the drinking. How's that going for you? I relapsed last night. Things like that, they happen at times. It doesn't mean that you're a failure. It doesn't mean that it's over. It just means that we've got to keep pressing forward and work a little harder so that you are able to quit. Yeah. Well, just trust that we're here to help pick you up and brush you off and get you back on the right track. Okay. Yeah. That's good. Having Jason for Eric, I think, helps him see that what he's doing is possible, that there is a big light at the end of the tunnel. We'll be there every step of the way to guide and help you and answer the call when you feel the urge. Pick up that phone. It might weigh 10 tons, but make that call before you drink that first beer, or light up that first cigarette. With this coming week before your baptism, we can't really afford to relapse. It's going to be tough, but if you commit to live the Word of Wisdom, and you do, when you're baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, that temptation that you have, I promise you that that will be gone. Okay. That's something I feel that I should promise you, and I do that as a representative of Jesus Christ. So are you willing to live the Word of Wisdom? Yeah. If Eric doesn't get baptized in our area at this time, it doesn't mean we're not successful. The way that we can know if we're successful is really if we do what the Lord guides us to do. If we do what He asks us to do, then we'll know we'll be successful whether baptisms come or not. ... we bless you with strength, with the power to resist temptation ... We were having a scheduling conflict at the end of the month 'cause I'm working a Sunday. You know, I've been praying about getting out of this Sunday so that I can go to church. And then a thought popped into my head to ask one of the people in charge to switch with me. Everyone said, Oh, he's never going to switch with you. He doesn't switch with anybody. Something told me to just ask. So I did, and said, Yeah. He said, I'll switch with you. In fact, I needed to switch anyway. And I was like, That was weird. That is excellent! That is really cool. There's nothing better than an actual experience that helps you build your faith. Oh, you should tell them about the tattoo thing! What's that? Well, I was just sitting in church, just listening. And I was thinking about tattoos, and I thought, You're 32 years old. That's pretty stupid. Really? And when I heard that, it brought peace to my mind, knowing that God can change people's hearts. Keith, that's awesome. That's amazing. That's going in my journal. Sweet! That connection we made with the Eten family was an eye-opener to me, knowing that the Holy Ghost is not only going to teach them, they're going to teach us. So we've got to be constantly recognizing that Spirit and wanting that Spirit so much so that you can let everything go. Okay. Welcome! We went on a church tour with Ofelia in the stake center. This is Jesus Christ when He was talking to men in the temple, and He was teaching them. Her husband said that if she wants to go to the Mormon Church, if that will make her happy, then he'll support her. So that was a pretty big step. We wanted her to be in the church and to feel the Spirit. So we just went around and started taking her to places that Victor would go and that she would go. It's called seminary. She said, This is nice. This is good. It was just a nice building, neat things that we do. This is the chapel. Here we come on Sundays, and like we talked about, everyone will be sitting here as families, you know, sitting together. And there'll be some speakers that are called from the congregation to talk to everyone. Okay. But the most important part is when we partake of the sacrament. Yes. The sacrament. Because that's what it's all about. And there was this peace. The Spirit was there so strong; it was like a wall. It hit us. I looked at Ofelia, and wondered, Is she feeling this? That's what the Spirit was saying to us, that He was there. He was testifying to her; He was helping her feel that peace. I can feel it. I love the peace. How do you feel right now? Something inside me is pressuring me like this. My heart is ... But not so much pressure that it hurts. It's something that doesn't fit inside. Something inside, I feel like it's too big for me.

It's nice.

I can feel it every time we talk. But today I feel it more. You can't not know that that's the house of God. I thank Thee for all that surrounds me ... She's a very special person. She has a very strong spirit with her. And walking into that—it was just perfect. This is the truth. What we are teaching you is the truth. It is. And someday, your family is going to all find it together. Someday. I hope. She said that she knows the Church is true. Hopefully we'll see some good progress there. Bye! Bye! Bye!

Today we're going to be doing service with him for an elderly sister in the ward. Tomorrow he's coming to church. We're fasting with him. We're just going to make sure he's focused and that he has meaningful things to be doing in this coming week. The elders are visiting me, and I keep reading the Book of Mormon. Something's developing in me.

After the church tour, Ofelia went to go visit her son a couple hours away. And then she stayed there, and we haven't really had any contact with her. It's really frustrating. Part of me just wants to make her do it. Just come to church! That is just so crucial, so important. We can't help her progress; we can't really do anything unless she comes to church. I think if she knows Tatiana, she'll come to church. Yeah. That's been the most disappointing thing to me, is people's agency. That's probably bad to say, but I'm starting to understand more of how Heavenly Father feels about me whenever I know something's good, I know something's right, and I don't do it. It's irritating!

This man has a strong desire to follow Christ and make changes in his life, and he was willing to trust God and willing to follow Him even though he couldn't see the end result. My companion and I were able to see that end result for him. We knew what lay ahead of him, and we were so excited.

Enrico Tanaga Guevara Jr.... It was amazing that after I had done so much, if I just went a little step further till I could almost go no more, that's when the blessings came.

I didn't think we were going to have a baptism. But I followed that prompting to just go a little bit more, and it came. And so now I have a testimony that whenever you do all that you can to bring about good, to have success, it'll happen. It may not happen in the way that you want it to, but it always happens. And I know that. We lay our hands upon your head and confirm you a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wasn't drinking anymore. I wasn't smoking. And it gives me more energy. I try to think of good things rather than thinking of the bad things that happened to me. A while back, I was full of anger and hate every time. But now I kind of let it go. Amen. Amen.

I was prompted to tell my kids, including myself, to bear our testimony. And we felt the Spirit, and I know my husband felt the Spirit also in there. And everybody was... I wasn't the only one who cried. If you make everyone in the house cry, that means you got a good testimony. You felt it, Brother Rodriguez? Yes, I was... almost, you know...

starting to actually have tears also when she said that testimony. And I've never seen my dad cry, ever. The Book of Mormon is a pure vehicle of the Spirit, and it brings the Spirit a lot better than we ever could. And we thought that would really help Brother Rodriguez. When Christ says, Follow thou me, Brother Rodriguez, we need to follow Him. So will you follow Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God like Jesus did?

What's in your mind? You have to speak up.

In my heart, I felt like he was going to say yes. I was excited. I think if we wait and just let them think about it, and let the Spirit bear witness to their heart, that's when that answer comes. Is this a straight question? Well, it says there Follow me. So... You know, Brother Rodriguez, sometimes, through my process in the Church, I've learned that... When he cut in, I think that cut Brother Rodriguez's thought and put in another idea in which he could think about that. I think if he'd have sat there for another minute, I think that would have been it. I cannot answer that straight right now. Because by doing so, it's like... probably get me baptized next day, or... I just remember looking at Brother Rodriguez, thinking, What's it going to take? You know. He's feeling this; why isn't he saying yes? I don't know. The past couple of weeks, I've been seeing this whole situation as another Joseph Smith situation. You know, if you really want to know, if you lack wisdom, then you should ask God cause He knows it all. When Ryan, his son, bore his testimony to his father, that was one of the most powerful moments I've ever been in on my mission, when that happened. That's why I thank you for allowing us to grow up in this gospel. And that's something that you gave me, Dad. Even if you're not part of it, you allowed me, Jozel, and Micah to grow up in this gospel, and that allows us to be examples to others. So, you did this. I'm just encouraging you, again, to find out for yourself. I love you, Dad. I love you too. I love you too.

You could tell that there was such love there. I could feel the Spirit so strong; the whole room was just burning. My chest was really burning, and my mind was clear, and I was just listening to that. It was just such devotion, and I had such respect for Ryan for doing that. I understand where you're coming from, Brother Rodriguez, I really do. I testify in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that this is the straight and narrow path which we should enter. And I know you've felt the Spirit of God. Jozel bore her testimony on Sunday, and you said you felt that. I know that God answers prayers through others. I know that God is trying to talk to you, and I know you've felt it. And I promise you, in the name of the Lord, again, that if you will take that step, accept that invitation, that you will recognize your answer from God. So again, Brother Rodriguez, will you follow the example Christ has set for you and be baptized by someone holding His authority?

Anybody could have felt that Spirit. And how much God loved Brother Rodriguez and how much we were there to support him. It was hard not to cry at times because the Spirit was so thick. Do you want to take more time to ponder this?

I need time. When we finally get an environment where the Spirit can bear witness to their heart of truth, and they turn away from it, it's heartbreaking. It really is. But there's nothing we can do about it. Our job as missionaries is to provide them with that opportunity to feel the Spirit of God and to be able to choose righteously. I've really developed that charity for the man. It's okay that he's not going to get baptized right now 'cause he's feeling scared. I just want to go and be by his side and help him. On a mission, there are joyful experiences, but more often than not, there are disappointments. As you keep diligently working, and as you keep looking for those joyful experiences, those discouraging ones don't even matter. I honestly can't remember too many. I remember I've had a lot. Thinking back, I can remember being discouraged a few times. But as far as specifics or anything about them, I don't remember. But every joyful experience I've had, I can talk about in detail, because the joyful experiences outweigh the disappointments that happen for months back. The Eten's baptism was a great moment. I was humbled and grateful that Keith, Brother Eten, had asked me to baptize him. Just the fact that he trusted Elder Hepworth and me enough to know that we could help him to get closer to God. It was just a very sweet experience for me to be a part of that. I know how much it meant to their family. I know how much it meant to Justina and her father, and the time they've waited for this. They have been such an amazing gift in our family, and I'm just filled so much with love. This is so unlike me. When she came in that water, it was just recognizing that Heavenly Father loved us both, and He's wanting us both back home. It's been a very, very special day. I've waited for this for a long, long, long time. Many prayers for the last 25 years, whether it would be in the temple or whether it would be just personal prayers, have been asked by all our family. Afterwards, when we were dressing, Keith and I were talking, and he was saying, I feel good. I feel really good. He was feeling the Spirit big time, and he began to weep a little bit. And I was really, really surprised because Keith's a strong guy; he's in the Navy. When I saw that, it just made me grateful for the Spirit and how it softens people's hearts and how it changes people. From the first moment we met him, we loved him. But he was different. And then from that to a month and a half later, he's just a completely changed man, and he's ready to begin his journey. Don't get discouraged. There're people like me. I mean, I've been through so much, and our life has changed. I never thought that we would join the Church. I mean, two years ago, I never thought. And here we are. And this is the happiest I've been. I mean it's just ... I can't even describe it. Don't ever give up on anyone, any of the investigators that you've ever taught. Never do it. Keep coming; keep praying for them. I prayed for over 25 years for this beautiful day to happen. And it has. What a blessing.

It's just the best, most enriching experience I've ever had— better than going to Europe and playing soccer, better than going to Asia and doing humanitarian work. This work that I've done has been rewarding on a level that is not like any other level. Your whole mission, you're not going to be facing discouragement. You're going to be laughing and having fun. You're going to be finding people and seeing miracles. Throughout my mission, I've never had a companion who hasn't helped me to be at my full potential as a missionary. I feel strongly with all of my heart that Elder Murray has helped me to do that. You may think, Why are you tearing up about this? But it means a lot to me because it helps me know

that God has placed Elder Murray in my life for a reason— to help me, so that I can go home and help my family out. Out here, where I'm really wanting to serve others and I'm really wanting to love others, charity is playing a little bit more of a role than it has in my life, and it's changing me. The most exciting and fun part of being a missionary, for me, is really just learning and growing myself, just really learning how the Spirit works— how it works with me, how it works in the lives of other people. I've learned how to trust Heavenly Father, and I've been able to share that with other people. So, it's worth it. If someone's worthy to go and just chooses not to, they're making the biggest mistake of their life. I don't think there are words that can describe what missionary work is like. I've tried to; it doesn't really work too well, and I feel like I'm just saying these cliché things. But in reality, being a missionary is those best two years that everyone talks about. If I get a new companion this next transfer, and he asks me, Well, Elder, what are we going to do? Well, we're going to hit the pavement, my friend. We are going to find, and we're going to teach, and we're going to baptize. That is what we do in this mission, and that's what I'm going to do.