Tuesday, October 29, 2013

*MAHALO TO ARIZONA PHOENIX MISSION (APM) FOR MAKING THE BEST TWO YEARS OF MY LIFE & THE MESA TEMPLE. I WILL SURELY MISS YOU ALL!*


Dear Family and Friends,

I had a wonderful Spiritual week in the mission field Sharing our Heavenly Father's Gospel.  It was a busy week but with lots of fun and many great experiences.  The weather is still really nice here in Arizona in the 80's during the day and the nights are not too cold yet.  To start off my awesome week on Tuesday, we had our zone interviews with some great teaching on adjusting to missionary life booklet, being focused on our purpose, cleanest car awards which Elder Bartleson and Elder Knobbe - Assistant to President Won, teaching by Elder Rodgers on reporting accident's online, and teaching members about online proselyting and how we can help them do their missionary work online.  I had a very brief interview with President Taylor on keeping strong through the rest of my mission and told me that he will let me know when my exiting interview will be later when I go back to the mission home next Monday.  On Wednesday, I was on exchanges with Elder Searl in my area.  We had a great day teaching investigators, contacting people, and setting up lessons with members.  We had a great lesson with Joseph on the Word of Wisdom.  He had questions about tea and coffee and we told him that it is a commandment from God and how we show God through Faith that we will be blessed by keeping the Word of Wisdom.  He committed to come to church but when we knocked on his door on Sunday, he was not there.  We also had a wonderful lesson with Julie on the Plan of Salvation and how we continue to progress in this life to learn the things that will help us return to live with God.  It was so good as we ended with the Atonement and how Jesus Christ died for all of us because of his Love for all us.  We also had a lesson with a new investigator Dominic on the Book of Mormon.  It was a bit frustrating because he had questions about the Trinity and we would answer his questions through the Book of Mormon and he would always refer to the Bible for the answer when we would ask him what he thought.  Then on Thursday, I was on exchanges with Elder Wardle in my area so for 2 days I was not with Elder Cook.  I had a great exchange with him mostly visiting members and investigators and street contacting people.  A great experience after visiting a member and setting up an appointment with them we saw a neighbor next door that was moving out so we offered to help.  The husband accepted us to help and when we went into the house we saw the wife that looked stress and she said you guys are God sent to help us.  We helped them move some of the big furnitures onto the trailer and they appreciated our help.  We got their number and will stop by again before they move by the end of the month.  On Friday, we had our Trainer/Trainee Followup Meeting which was great to discuss how we can help other companionships with their struggle in the 12 week training program.  Then in the afternoon, I had my last District Meeting teaching my district about how we can help our investigators come to church and partake of the Sacrament.  It was perfect because our district has been struggling getting investigators to come to church, so we discussed some great ideas that will help.  Then in the evening, we had a lesson with Lea on the Restoration watching the video with her.  On Saturday, we woke up early to go to the Mesa Temple to do a 6:30 am Endownment Session which was spiritually wonderful to feel the spirit and remembering the covenants that I have made because that last time I did a session was in December of last year at our Christmas Conference.  The new temple video was amazing with the new scenery and acting.  A great young family - The Warrens took us and they are planning to move in November which we were sad to hear because they were one of our favorite families to visit especially after 8 pm - which is tough to see people because many people are getting ready for bed especially families with kids.  Then for lunch Elder Bartleson was on exchanges with Elder Hernandez and picked us up and we went to "L and L" to get a plate lunch which me and Elder Bartleson went to with the Goodwin Family over a year ago when we were companions.  It was a great time to talk about our mission and all the great experiences we had.  The food was very ONO, I got the Lau Lau and Kalua Pork plate.  Sunday was a great Sabbath Day with some great speakers on Faith and Enduring to the End.  I also went to our Monthly Stake Coordination Meeting with the Stake Presidency discussing the missionary work in the Deer Valley Stake and how we can help the members and investigators that we are helping to come closer to Christ.  That was my wonderful week here in the mission field.  I cannot believe in a week I will be done with my mission and heading home from "THE BEST TWO YEARS OF MY LIFE".  I am so grateful for this time that I have to Serve the Lord and helping others feel the Happiness and Joy that the Restored Gospel can bring to their lives.  I have learned and grown so much from losing myself in the work and doing all that I can to help others feel our Heavenly Father's love for them.  This has been the greatest work and calling to be a Representative of Jesus Christ and be an instrument to do his Marvelous Work.  My mission has truly been the Foundation for the rest of my life.  I am so grateful for the experiences that I have had to help others feel the Spirit and help strengthen their Faith in Christ.  I have seen so many Miracles in my life and in others as I trust in God and Keep his Commandments.  I am so grateful for the Blessing that I had to see many of the people I had to help them come unto Christ through Baptism and Receiving the Holy Ghost to help them in their lives.  I got a Facebook message from Destiny and Jason Davis in Buckeye on Thursday and they told me that in September they spoke in Sacrament, they got a calling to teach the 8 & 9 year old, and are preparing to go to the Temple next March to be sealed in the Temple.  That brought me great joy to hear that they are active and preparing to make additional covenants in the Temples.  That is what this Gospel is all about Sealing Families for time and all Eternity in God's Kingdom.  I testify that through our Heavenly Father's Plan we can have Eternal Joy in Eternal Life with him and our Families Forever.  I know that our Heavenly Father lives and loves us all.  Jesus Christ is our brother that fulfilled the Atonement to pay for our sins so we can be worthy for Exaltation as we live his Gospel.  I know that the Gospel has been restored through Joseph Smith and we continue to have the Priesthood Key's through our prophet, Thomas S. Monson.  I am so honored to have the Priesthood to perform Ordinances for others that brings them closer to God.  Going on my mission is the best decision in my life because I have learned so much about the Gospel and it has strengthen my Testimony in our Savior.  I will truly miss being a full-time missionary but hope to take all that I have learned and continue to Share this Gospel as a member missionary.  I loved feeling the Spirit so abundantly in my life to guide me in blessing the lives of our Heavenly Father's children.  I love you all and thank you very much for all your support of encouragement on my mission.  I have felt your prayers and loved the letters and emails that kept me strong in doing the Lord's work.  Take care and hope to see many of you next week.  Thank you for reading my journey of my mission in the ARIZONA PHOENIX MISSION (APM) the #1 Mission in the World.  I am so grateful for President Taylor and Sister Taylor for all they did for me.  Grateful for ALL my Companions that has helped me grow and strengthen me through the hardships.  Thankful for the assignments I had to be a Senior Companion, Trainer 3 times, and District Leader that have helped me bless the lives of other Missionaries.  I am so grateful for all the Areas and Members that I had to get to know and Love through out my mission.  I am very grateful for my Family and Friends that helped me as I was serving my mission.  I am very grateful to my Heavenly Father who loves me and blessed me throughout my mission and Jesus Christ for atoning Sacrifice so we can have immortality and eternal life in God's Kingdom to have the Fullness of the Gospel.  See you all soon.  I testify this Gospel is True and this is the True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! 

Love Always,
Elder Lance Kuhi Cabral

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

*ALOHA CATHY - GOOD LUCK IN PHOENIX, MAY WE (FULL-TIME MISSIONARIES) PLANT THE SEED OF THE GOSPEL TO EVERYONE IN ANTHEM*

Dear Family and Friends,

I had a great week in Anthem - Sharing the Gospel and helping others Come unto Christ.  The weather is still really nice and warm during the day.  We had a great week teaching our investigators about the Gospel.  We had a great lesson with a new investigator Julie and her daughter Lexie on "How to Begin Teaching and Teaching them about How the Gospel can bring them Closer as a Family and to our Heavenly Father".  They seem interested and met with the missionaries before when Julie's sister was taking the lessons.  We also had a great lesson with Joseph on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and teaching him how he can be Forgiven of his Sins as he strengthens his Faith in Jesus Christ, Repent, be Baptized, and Receive the Holy Ghost.  He was worried that if he gets Baptized and makes mistakes that he cannot be forgiven.  We assured him that our life on earth is all about progression and becoming like God.  As long, he is sincerely living the Gospel by Enduring to the End and repenting he can be forgiven.  That is a wonderful gift of the Atonement that it is always there for us as we continuely improve and do better.  We also had some great spiritual lessons with Cathy this week regarding Heavenly Father's plan and how Heavenly Father wants us to have Eternal Joy.  She told us that she was moving to Phoenix and we were so bummed.  We helped her move out on Friday and a member helped her drive the Uhaul down to her new home and 6 elders in her new area helped her move in so everything went smoothly and the missionaries will continue to teach her.  We invited her to be Baptized.  She said she was thinking about it when she understands more and is able to commit in keeping the commandments.  She was sad that she cannot meet with us but we told her to continue to meet with the missionaries and they will help her prepare for Baptism and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost that she felt in our lessons in testifying to her that the Gospel is true.  I knew that the Lord was preparing her to receive the Gospel everytime we would see her on the front porch we would stop by to talk to her about the Gospel and give her pamphlets to read.  It was a great opportunity to plant the Seed of the Gospel with her and see the spirit work with her.  I had a great exchange this week with Elder Gapinski in my area.  We mostly visited with members and investigators throughout the day but in the evening we had a great lesson with Cathy.  On Saturday, we helped a non-member family move into our Ward and they enjoyed our service and they were happy to meet with us when they settled into their apartment.  I had a great District Meeting this week on the Book of Mormon and how it is so important in everyones conversion to know that the Gospel has been restored through the prophet - Joseph Smith and we continue to have a prophet that leads the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  We had a great Sabbath Day with wonderful talks in sacrament.  Elder Cook is doing a great job learning everything that will help him take over the area in a few weeks and possibly train if called upon.  I am doing great in being diligent in the Lord's work for the remainder of the time that I have to serve our Heavenly Father's children here in Arizona.  Almost everytime we visit members they always ask me how much time I got left and when can we come over for dinner or for a lesson they ask that question before I leave.  I am a bit anxious about finishing my mission in a few weeks; but I know that my mission has prepared me for the rest of my life.  I testify that our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to return to live with him and our Families Forever.  Jesus is the Christ that atoned for our sins as we live his gospel.  The Book of Mormon is the Word of God and it can bring people to the truth of the restored Gospel.  Missionary work is the greatest work that we can do to help our brothers and sisters come unto our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  I love and miss you all.  I know that Heavely Father is always there for us as we trust in him and seek his guidance through prayer.  Take care and until my last letter next week.  Have a wonderful week! 

Love for Eternity,
Elder Lance Kuhi Cabral  

Monday, October 14, 2013

*IT IS STAKE CONFERENCE TIME IN ANTHEM & THANK YOU PRESIDENT & SISTER TAYLOR FOR YOUR WORDS OF WISDOM*


Dear Family and Friends,

I had a great week doing the Lord's work of Sharing his wonderful Gospel with all those that I meet.  The weather is really nice mostly in the 80's during the day and the nights are getting cold.  We had some great lessons this week.  We had a lesson with a new investigator that has been a potential investigator since I first got to Anthem.  We stopped by earlier this week to see if she has read the pamphlets we left with her and she had lots of questions so we scheduled a time to come back and teach her.  I was on exchanges but Elder Cook taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and again on exchanges with Elder Farnsworth we taught her about the Plan of Salvation.  The spirit was so strong as we taught her about how we go through trials to make us stronger and how Jesus Christ fullfilled the Atonement for all of our sins.  It was so great when we helped her to recognize what she was feeling is the Holy Ghost testifying to her the truthfulness of the Gospel.  We also had 2 great lessons with Joseph on the Restoration of the Gospel and how he can know it is true by reading the Book of Mormon and Praying about it.  We gave him a church tour and immediately when he entered the Chapel he said he felt calm.  We taught him about the Sacrament and how he can remember Jesus Christ by worshiping him on Sundays by coming to church.  I had 2 great exchanges this week.  On Wednesday, I was on exchanges with Elder Burgoyne in his area and we mostly did member visits having prayers and setting up lessons.  On Saturday, I was on exchanges with Elder Farnsworth in my area.  We had some powerful lessons with Ian reading the Book of Mormon and helping him to understand how he can receive revelation by diligently reading it daily.  We also had a wonderful lesson with Cathy and got to attend the adult session of the Stake Conference because the focus was on missionary work and missionaries were invited to attend.  There were some great talks from recent converts & returning active on how the Gospel blessed their lives.  President & Sister Taylor also gave great talks on members working with the missionaries and how in this digital age we can share the Gospel online.  President Taylor said that by February our mission will be 1 of 50 missions to be fully equipped with Ipads and Iphones for all missionary companionships.  On Sunday, we had Stake Conference that was transmitted over the internet to the Anthem Building.  It was working that well, it would play for 10 minutes then would have to buffer again to start playing.  Then an hour into the conference it stopped and the Presiding High Councilman told everyone if they wanted to watch the rest they would have to go to the Stake Center to listen to Elder Lesure an Area Seventy who would be the concluding speaker.  I am so happy that my sister - Nikki entered the Temple to receive her own endownments. I am so proud of her for making additional covenants with God that will help her in her life and into Eternity.  I hope it was a spiritual experience for her and all those who supported her.  That was my great week in the mission field Sharing the Gospel.  I cannot believe that I got a few weeks left to be a servent of Jesus Christ.  It is so great to see how this Gospel can truly bless peoples lives.  That was my great week.  Take care and have a great week.  I love and miss you all.  You are in my prayers Always. 

Love,
Elder Lance Kuhi Cabral

Monday, October 7, 2013

*WATCHING THE 183rd SEMIANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE FROM ANTHEM, ARIZONA & CONGRATS AGAIN LEA*

Dear Family and Friends,

How are you all doing?  I am doing great here in Anthem doing the Lord's work and helping others Come unto Christ.  The weather has been pretty nice this week during the day and even the nights are nice and chilly.  This week was a great week with Leadership meeting, Zone meeting and our Awesome General Conference.  On Tuesday, I had a Leadership meeting that I got some great learnings that will help me as a District Leader.  A big focus was on helping our missionaries deal with the Stress of Missionary work and how to help them cope with it.  We got a new booklet that all missionaries will get at Zone interviews this month on adjusting to the missionary life.  It is a great booklet that focuses on new missionaries but also helps all missionaries that go through physical, emotional, spiritual, and social challenges through their missions.  We also learned about being focused on the work and thinking outside the box and thinking of creative ways to find people to teach without doing things that are not part of our purpose.  Zone meeting was also great with teachings on helping our new members by continuely teaching them for 3 months after their baptism to help with retain and spiritually progress towards their next covenants in the temple thru activities in the church.  We got spiritually nourished this weekend with the wonderful talks from General Conference.  Many uplifting talks from the prophets, apostles and all those who spoke on messages that will help us in our journey back to our Heavenly Father.  I enjoyed many of the talks, especially President Ucthdorf's talk on Helping our Heavenly Children come back to the Fold and President Monson's talk on Enduring through Trials.  We were at the Stake Center all day on Saturday watching all 3 sessions and on Sunday watching the last 2 sessions.  Our week was a bit slow we had 1 lesson with Leslie on Prophets and talked to her and Beau about the great talks from General Conference.  We are really focusing on finding new investigators by talking with everyone and asking for referrals because our teaching pool is low, many of our investigators are not progressing.  That was my great week here in the mission field Sharing this wonderful Gospel with all those that I meet.  I love and miss you all.  Take care and have a great week. 

Love,
Elder Lance Kuhi Cabral