7/14/14

This week went by so fast! Really I don't have a lot to say, but I'll say something because I don't want you to be upset!

 

We had Mission Leadership CouncilTuesday which is one of the most powerful meetings a missionary can go to. It’s so awesome! Then we had Interviews with our Mission PresidentThursday which was great! And then we had exchanges with the Assistants which we loved as well. 

So I talked to President Meredith during interviews about college and he has allowed me to look at colleges now. Really, I don't know what I want. It’s going to take a lot of prayer and study and thought. It’s a life changing decision. But right now I’m called to serve a mission so I will focus on that!

 

By the way Elder Craft and I have so much fun. We are doing great!

 

We have Zone Training Meeting this Tuesday and Zone Leadership Council. Yay more meetings to go to! :) 

 

My trainer, Elder Doney, is coming to Louisville, Kentucky in a few weeks! He will be selling pest control there. I believe he would love a place to stay while he's out there. Maybe he can stay with you guys? He's awesome. He might be calling you soon.

 

Have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Ranquist

Jonathan with the parents of a family in our ward! Both missionaries in the same place

7/7/14 Fantastic Fourth

Last Monday, I was able to get in contact with a recent convert from Berkeley. That was really nice! Other than that miracle it was a pretty rough week. I literally had people yelling/spitting at my face, an hour and a half of someone ripping our faith apart using the Bible, and other experiences as we were talking to people! We are all right. After the "Bible study," I guess you can call it, it was a little shakening but it helped my determination.

 

This week is going to be a busy week. We have Mission Leadership Counciltomorrow, President Interview Thursday, and Exchanges with the Assistants on Friday night to Saturday night. We have a great week planned out. We are planning on teaching over 30 lessons even with all of these things happening.We're really excited. 

 

I’m really surprised at how well you took me going into the Army. I will continue to pray about it and see if that is what I should go into. 

 

I'm not sure about the driver’s license,what I'm going to do with that. 

 

Personally, I would like to fly home because I really don't want to be so restricted for 7- 10 days. I wouldn't be able to hold Grant as a missionary! But I think you would love coming out here (especially the weather during winter time) and I would love to see the whole family and I don't see that happening if I go straight home and have to wait until Igo out to Utah for school. I'll pray about it.

 

Thanks for your love and support!

 

Love,

Elder Ranquist

 

7/1/14

Wow, July 4th already! I can still remember the last email about the Blackwells.

 

So transfers. I am staying in Union City!! AGAIN. There are actually 3 Zone Leaders who have stayed in their area for as long as I have (6 transfers.) Me,my MTC companion Elder Watkins, and Elder Hill. I wonder what’s going to happen. This transfer theAssistant up in Oakland is ending his mission so all the Zone Leaders are on edge for next transfer if they get the call. I’m not on edge though. I don't have that many transfers left and President needs someone up there longer than that. I’m so glad I am staying here inHayward. I love it here. The members are so great. 

 

I'm not sure if you really want to know what I changed to other then fire fighting. Well, I still plan on going to Utah Valley University, but I am not exactly sure what I want to study. I am planning on going into the ArmyROTC and serving in the Army for my career. I am thinking of going into the Airborne Army Rangers. I think that’s a big change from fire fighting. Right now I am serving the Lord though! It was interesting I have thought about it for a little while. A few months ago, I switched from fire fighter to going into the Marines, but UVU doesn’t have a Marine ROTC and I would rather be an officer in the military than enlisted so I changed to Army Rangers and then my new companion, Elder Craft, is actually planning on goingto BYU for Army ROTC which is funny. 

 

Anyway, after I freaked mom out! :P We had an amazing blessing happen to us this week! So sisters in Castro Valley, north of us, had a person come to church last week who was a girl friend of a memberso they decided to set up a lesson with her. Little did they know she lives in Union City which is perfect for us! So we went over and taught her and her roommate joined in on the lesson! We started out getting to know her and found out that her parents died when she was only 2 years old so she doesn't know them and she grew up being pretty much abused. Her boy friend’s grandpa actually passed away recently as well so we decided to switch from teaching lesson 1, the Restoration, to Lesson 2 thePlan of Salvation. At the end of it, she was really excited to know that she could see her parents again! We all felt the spirit in the lesson and invited her right there to be baptized and she was very enthusiastic. In fact, her roommate actually asked if she could be baptized too and we said yes you can! It was a great first lesson. 

 

We also found a new investigator through some lessactives. They took us out to In and Out and we had a lesson. I am sick of fast food, my body just can’t handle it anymore. I don't throw up, but my stomach gets so upset. I can't believe I survived working atArby's for so long. 

 

I'll talk to the mission home about going to get my license extended or get a California license, which I think would be cool, but I think it might be a little more expensive. I'll see what they suggest and go from there. The date that I leave my mission is January 28th 2015.

 

Have a great week! I love you.

 

A few things before I forget. 

1. The credit card that goes to your account is broken I never used it, never had to, but I still think it would be nice to have one for emergencies.

2.  Could you send out a few more white shirts, short sleeved. A few of my shirts are ripping and they don't look great.

3.  Also a question I was pondering over this week has been what has been some of the hardest times in your life and how did the Lord help you get through them?

 

Love,

Elder Ranquist

 

6/24/14

Well, we don't really cook that much. The most I have made is Fried Rice, or Pancakes. 

 

Lately, part of our zone gets together and plays soccer or ultimate Frisbee in a park for our p-days.

 

As we teach about the Holy Ghost, they just think of him as a spirit that makes you feel good, we have to teach them that the Holy Ghost gives you answers to your prayers. 

 

A great missionary experience we had last week happened Monday. We got a HQ referral and set up a lesson with him for six o’clock. We looked up his address and found that he was out of our area and gave it to those missionaries who went by and scheduled a different time to meet. Well, that meant that we had 6 o’clock open so my companion called a potential investigator who stopped us on the street the week before and wanted to know more. My companion asked if we would be able to set up an appointment to teach and he said, “Sure, why not now. I can head over there in 5 minutes.” So, we got there and had a great lesson with him. He explained to us that he has been searching for the right church.He brought up 5 churches that he has been searching/investigating and said how he found out that they were all wrong. By the end of it we invited him to be baptized with a baptismal date and heaccepted!

 

I was able to go on exchanges with the Assistants this week who serve in Oakland. I felt at home there. I served in the San Leandro ward, which covered WestOakland, a different area than the Assistants, but while I was there I just grew to love it. I don't feel like Union City is my home, but I have spent the same amount of time here.

 

Oh, you bring up Fire Fighting. I probably won’t go into it as a career. I have changed on my mission. 

 

Have a great week! This week is Transfer calls so by next Monday I will know if I am staying here or going to be transferred. I think that I might be, but I really hope I don't though. I love it here!

 

Love,

Elder Ranquist