*WELCOME, WELCOME ELDER WILSON TO ARIZONA (APM)*

 

Aloha Family and Friends,

How are you all doing?  Well, I am doing great as usual here in Buckeye sharing the Gospel and helping others Come unto Christ.  The weather here in Buckeye has been great, a few days it was raining hard but it cleared up today.  On Wednesday, we had transfers which I got my new companion Elder Wilson.  First we had a trainer meeting that we went to receive our new trainees.  The trainers were on one side of the room and the trainees was on the other side.  President Taylor then announced who would be our companions.  I was anxious when we got down to the last 2 trainees and President Taylor announced that I would be training Elder Wilson.  Then we joined the rest of the missionaries being transferred in the Chapel.  We introduced our trainee then our trainee which mine is Elder Wilson bore his testimony about how excited he is to join the Arizona Phoenix Mission (APM).  Then President Taylor announced transfers and he changed one of my areas that I would be covering.  I now cover Palo Verde and Estrella Hills Ward.  So I had to move to a different home in the Palo Verde Ward which is a huge area that covers the southwestern part of our mission.  There is a pretty big suburb area called Tartesso besides that people live in the middle of the desert, sometimes we have to travel miles before we see another house.  We have a truck that I drive because there is lots of dirt roads we go on to get to people.  It is a bit of a challenge with me and my companion not knowing the area but with time we will get to know the area, investigators, and members.  The work is going great we have some great teaching appointments this week to help Elder Wilson with some Teaching Experience.  We had great lessons with Michael about the Restoration, Plan of Salvation , and Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was so great teaching him and feeling the spirit testifying to him that the Gospel is true.  He is moving back to Ohio but we hope he continues to learn about the Gospel because he has a great desire to follow Christ.  Elder Wilson did his first baptism invitation with Michael, he does not feel ready so we committed him to continue to read the Book of Mormon and pray if he should be baptized.  I know he will receive an answer through the Holy Ghost that he should be baptized and it will bless his life.  On Saturday, we tracted into a family who let us in to have a prayer with them and taught them a little bit about the Gospel and how Families can be Together Forever.  We got a return appointment to teach them about the Restoration of the Gospel and how the Gospel can bless them for Eternity.  We also visited some of the investigators and members in the Palo Verde Ward to get to know them and set up appointments to continue to teach them.  We had a good turnout of investigators that came to church on Sunday.  Training is going great, it is not as hard as I thought it would be.  We have 2 hours of companionship study to do the 12 week infield training for new missionaries.  It is great to teach him what I have learned through my experience that will help him be a successful missionary.  It helps me realize how much I have grown on my mission and how much stronger my knowledge and testimony of the Gospel since I came out.  He is a great missionary that is excited to do the Lord's work.  I have to lead by example because as a new missionary they follow what you do.  He is a bit quiet in teaching appointments.  I mostly teaching the lessons but with practice role playing and experience he will open up.  It feels weird being the senior companion because I was in his shoes when I came out quiet and afraid to speak but now I have confidence that as I study the Gospel that the Spirit will be there to guide you to what you should say and do.  Well that was my great week in the mission field sharing the Gospel.  I love and miss you all.  You are all in my prayers.  Take care until next week. 

Love,
Elder Lance Kuhi Cabral

*JOY CAME TO MARIA WHITE IN BUCKEYE & WELCOME TO MISSIONARY LIFE*

Hola Familia y Amigos,

How are you guys doing?  I am doing great here in Buckeye serving the Lord and helping others Come unto Christ.  The weather has been really nice this past week in the 70's - it was weird because at the beginning of the week it was really cold but then it got nice and warm.  We had a good week teaching the Gospel and helping them receive the Gospel.  Maria White got baptized on Saturday and it was spiritually wonderful to see her follow the example of Jesus Christ and make that covenant with God.  She was so excited and happy after many years of missionaries teaching her the Gospel that she finally felt ready and had a desire to be Baptized.  No work is wasted as we Preach the Gospel because sometimes we are the ones planting the seeds, helping it grow, or harvesting it by seeing them walk into the waters of Baptism and be Baptized by someone who has that Priesthood Authority.  It was so great to see her get confirmed the Holy Ghost on Sunday and become a member of his church.  We had a new investigator Scott McBryan come to church and he enjoyed it.  The spirit was so strong and it was so great to see Maria's daughter, brother, and sister-in-law witness her Baptism.  We had a great lesson with Maria White on the Restoration of the Gospel focusing on how the Gospel blesses families for Eternity and how she can know it is true by reading and praying about the Book of Mormon.  We also had a great lesson with William a 9yr old on the Restoration using Jenga Blocks which he enjoyed, we set a date with him for February 16.  We set a date with the Hornburgers to be baptized on February 9.  Well another exciting and nervous experience is on Saturday evening, we just finished having dinner with a less active family and I got a call from President Taylor and I got so nervous because I knew what he was calling me for the Saturday before transfers.  He asked me if I would accept an assignment to TRAIN A NEW MISSIONARY and of course I accepted it.  So I will be in Buckeye for the next 3 months or 2 transfers.  Yesterday, I went to a trainer meeting and went over the 12 week program in training new missionaries in to the mission field.  It was a great meeting to hear President Taylor talk about how important it is to be a great trainer and teaching new missionaries.  We have to make sure that we lead by example and be obedient because a missionaries first companion has a big influence on a missionaries success throughout his mission and the rest of there lives.  Training is the most important assignment a missionary can receive.  I am so grateful to the Lord and President Taylor for their trust in giving me this Sacred assignment.  We will be getting another set of missionaries back to our district.  So I will be going back to covering 2 wards probably Buckeye 1st and Sundance.  Well, I look forward to transfers tomorrow and getting my new companion in the Arizona Phoenix Mission (APM) http://azphxmission.blogspot.com/  and hope that I can do the best to help him be a successful servant of Christ.  That was my great and exciting week in the mission field Sharing the Gospel to all those who have the desire & enjoy the blessing of the Gospel.  I love and miss you all.  My prayers are with you all.  Take care until next week have a fantastic week. 

Love,
Elder Lance Kuhi Cabral

*LET'S FOCUS ON FINDING PEOPLE TO TEACH THE GOSPEL IN ARIZONA*

Aloha Ohana and Friends,

How are you guys all doing?  Well, I am doing great here in Buckeye doing the Lord's work.  It has been pretty cold these past few days. This morning it was 26 degrees outside when we did our morning exercise.  I was freezing cold.  This week was a pretty great week with zone interviews. We had a great devotional talk by Elder Bednar that we watched in our District meeting with wonderful lessons for our investigators.  Zone interviews were great with our focus on finding investigators so we did a great skills training where we did speed contacting by someone in 20 seconds then increasing it until we reached 1 minute.  Sister Taylor's games are always a big highlight at zone interviews with a game that we learned about how we should budget our mission money and shop wisely for food.  Then we had powerful talks and a testimony meeting on The Atonement of Jesus Christ.  We had a great week teaching this week.  We had 3 new investigators which were great because we were doing a lot of "finding people to teach the gospel".  We met with Megan King from a temple referral which we had a spiritually awesome lesson which we gave her a church tour and taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel.  The spirit was so strong especially as we taught the First Vision and how Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet and received and translated the Book of Mormon.  We committed her to be baptized on February 9 and she accepted.  We also had a great lesson with Maria White about prophets and preparing her for Baptism.  She had her baptism interview yesterday and passed.  She is so excited to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost.  She is getting baptized this Saturday, January 19 at 12 (noon).  Allie Delgado is doing great but she does not feel ready yet.  We invited her to pray about her Baptism on January 19 and she does not feel like she received an answer yet.  We will keep teaching her and helping her recognize the spirit.  We also met with a new investigator, Jesus Nazaro and a former investigator and taught them the Restoration.  We had a great lesson with the Baker Family at a members house that invited them over for dinner and a lesson.  It is so great when members fellowship investigators and helps support them.  Well that was my great week here in the mission field sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I love and miss you all.  My prayers are with you guys.  Take care and have a wonderful week and look for opportunities to do missionary and share the Gospel with someone the Lord guides you to. 

Love,
Elder Cabral

*TRACTING IN ARIZONA SURE BRINGS OUT THE JOY/SUN LIGHT FOR ALL THOSE THAT FOLLOW THE SPIRIT*

Hello Family and Friends,

How are you all doing? How was your New Year's?  I am doing just great here in Buckeye - Serving the Lord and helping others Come unto Christ.  I had a great New Years.  We just mostly stayed at our home with the Maxwell's because we could not go out New Year's Day, by appointment only which we had a few in the evening.  We had a pretty good week teaching our investigators.  We had a great lesson with Allie on Baptism and Prayer.  We recommitted her to be baptized on January 19.  It was so great to hear that she told her mother that she is meeting with us and her mom is impressed about everything she is learning about the Gospel.  She even invited her to meet with us to learn more but she does not want to.  Her faith is growing so much and it was so wonderful to hear that she had the courage to tell her mom because that was a big concern.  When we committed her to be baptized on January 19, she felt that she is not ready so we taught her about Baptism and how it is only the gate to Eternal Life that we have to make that leap of Faith.  When we have a desire to Come unto Christ, we have to act upon and show our Heavenly Father that we want to return to live with him through keeping his commandments and being baptized and in return we will receive greater blessings like the Gift of the Holy Ghost as our constant companion to help us stay on the right path towards our Heavenly Father.  We also taught her about prayer and how our Heavenly Father can answer our prayers.  We committed her to pray to our Heavenly Father if she should be baptized on January 19 and our Heavenly Father will answer her through the Spirit.  We also had a great lesson with Maria on the Plan of Salvation and recommitted her to be baptized on January 19 as well.  We went over the baptism questions with her and it went great.  She just has to give up drinking coffee and she will be ready to enter the waters of Baptism.  We promised her blessings as she keeps the Word of Wisdom.  We also met with Mike and had a great lesson on the Plan of Salvation.  We also had a great lesson with the Baker Family on the Restoration of the Gospel.  It was a wonderful lesson for the first time.  We met with them because they had many questions and we kept jumping around teaching them different principles.  We kept it focus on the lesson and it really helped him understand the role of our Prophet and why it is important today that we have a prophet today that continues to lead and guide us back to our Heavenly Father.  We had a spiritually packed zone meeting on Friday that was focused on finding and different ways we can find those that the Lord is preparing to receive his Gospel.  It was so great to have a discussion with other missionaries in our zone and learn of things that are successful.  We all agreed that helping members invite their friends and families is effective in helping others because they have support that will help them and people are more likely to learn about the Gospel and be Baptized and stay active in the Gospel.  Well, we had a cool tracting experience this week.  We were tracting on a street when we got to this house and knocked this Spanish Lady, whom is a member that goes to the Spanish Branch - open the door and was so happy to see us.  She let us in and told us that she was feeling a little down and she prayed to our Heavenly Father to comfort her and then we showed up on her doorstep.  She could not speak much English so she had her son translate for her.  The spirit was so strong as we visited with her even though I could only understand a little of what she was saying in Spanish.  I could feel the spirit and felt so grateful that we followed the promptings of the Spirit to tract that street and to answer her prayer.  Well that was my wonderful week in the mission field - Sharing the Gospel and helping others feel our Heavenly Father's love for them. 

Love,
Elder Cabral

*GOOD BYE 2012 & HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013 from ARIZONA*

Aloha Family and Friends,

How are you all doing?  Well as for me, I am doing pretty good here in Buckeye - Sharing the Gospel.  I was sick the past week with a cold so that was not fun.  Wednesday night, I started to get a bad cough and Thursday & Friday I was really sick so we stayed inside and I got some rest.  Saturday, I started to feel better so I pushed myself to go out and do missionary work because It was killing me to stay inside when there is people out there searching for the Gospel.  This week was a pretty hard week for us because Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we did not do missionary work because of the holiday's and with me being sick for for 2 days.  We still had a productive week of Sharing the Gospel.  We had a good lesson on the Plan of Salvation with Mike and his Family.  We did not get to meet with Allie and Maria this week because they were busy with the holiday's.  We are planing to re-commit Allie to be baptized on January 12.  She is so ready to get baptized and enter into that covenant with God and receive the Holy Ghost to help her.  We hope she can tell her mom about her desire to be baptized and that she is supportive.  We also hope to meet with Maria and continue to help her be baptized.  Our big focus is finding investigators because we are a little low on investigators right now with 3 wards, but we know that as we continue to have Faith, be Obedient, and work hard that the Lord will bless us and guide us to those that he is preparing to receive the Gospel.  We had a great zone activity this morning, we hiked up a big hill that was pretty steep but the view at the top was wonderful to see Arizona's Sunrise.  We had a great spiritual testimony meeting on the top about the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ and how through his Love and Sacrifice we can return to live with God and our Families Forever.  We have to continue to have an Eternal perspective and endure through the trials in life and thank God for everything he has blessed us with.  Great analogy of the hike was how life is hard sometimes with many obstacles and boulders that we have to climb over but part of our life here on earth is to learn and grow, we go through hard times to make us stronger and with Gods help nothing is to hard that we cannot conquer.   On Saturday, we visited with a referral that we got from church headquarters and had a great discussion with him on his doorstep for about 40 minutes on the Gospel and how he can be blessed.  He went through some challenges in life that made him want to learn more about our religion and give him spiritual guidance.  It was so wonderful testifying to him about the restored Gospel.  We gave him a Bbook of Mormon to read and a Restoration pamphlet.  He is 25 years old so we probably going to hand him to the YSA Elders so he can have better fellowshiping at the Singles Ward, but still great to plant the seed of the Ggospel and help him feel our Heavenly Father's love for him.  Well that was my week here in the mission field.  I am so grateful to our Heavenly Father for giving me this wonderful priviledge this past year to be on my mission and doing the Lord's work and helping all those that I helped have the joy and happiness that comes from living the Gospel.   I am so grateful for all the spiritual experiences and everything I learned on my mission so far.  My testimony of the Gospel has grown so much this past year from my studies, teaching, and testifying of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father's plan to have Eternal Life with him so our Families can be Together Forever.  I look forward to what 2013 has in store for me on my mission here in Arizona as I continue to learn and teach the Gospel to our brothers and sisters.  Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Year's.  I hope you all have a New Year's resolution to continue to live the Gospel more fully in your lives and becoming more like our Savior and following his example. Praying and studying the Gospel more and Sharing the Gospel with your family, friends, and anyone that you meet.  I promise as you do you receive & enjoy greater blessing in your lives and feel the spirit more abundently in your lives.  You are always in my prayers.  Till next year take care. 

Love,

Elder Lance Kuhi Cabral  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!    

*IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME IN BUCKEYE WITH A SPIRITUALLY, FUN-FILLED WEEK*

Aloha Family and Friends,

How are you all doing? How was your Christmas?  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends celebrating the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I had a great Christmas in Buckeye with many wonderful families.  We first was with the Maxwells that we live with opening presents, Skype their son Braden who is serving his mission in France, then we had breakfast with the Cutler family, and opened some more presents at the Maxwells. I had a wonderful time calling home & talking with ALL my family then we had dinner with the Luciers, then the Garzas, the Andersons, and finally ended the day with the Dobbs family.  It was surely a fun and busy Christmas.  Well this past week was a spiritually packed week.  On Wednesday we had our half mission Christmas Conference which was so wonderful with powerful talks by President Taylor on the Birth of Christ and how through his atonement we can have the greatest gift of Eternal Life.  There was a strong spirit as each zone missionary did a musical selection that was so peaceful to hear and feel.  Then we went to the Mesa Temple and had an opportunity to do an endowment session.  It was so amazing to be in the House of the Lord to do temple work for others and refresh the covenants that we made in the Temple.  It was wonderful to be there with half our mission.  Then we got to cruise around the Temple grounds and see the colorful Temple lights that they have during Christmas and hear the wonderful music by the choir.  We had a great lesson with 2 new investigators on Thursday with Brenda and Vernon, we gave them a church tour and taught them the Restoration of the Gospel.  They seem very interested and feel it is time to learn more about Christ.  We also had a great spirit with Allie on the commandments to prepare her for her baptism.  She was supposed to be baptized this Saturday but she has not told her mother that she is getting baptized so she might get baptized in a few weeks.  We helped her to pray and have the courage to tell her mom about her desire to be baptized.  We also went with Allie and her husband Brandon who is a member to the Temple lights to show them the Temple lights, Visitors center, and the strong spirit of the Temple.  She had a great time and some of her family came along.  We had a wonderful Sabbath Day at church with wonderful talks on our Savior Jesus Christ and Serving others.  There were great music by the ward Choirs and Primary that always brings the Spirit so strong.  Well that was my wonderful Christmas week in the mission field - Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and helping others enjoy the blessings that come from receiving and living the Gospel and having the Holy Ghost to help them stay on the straight path towards Eternal life.  I love and miss you all.  You are all in my prayers. 

Love Always,

Elder Lance Kuhi Cabral

*IT IS A BUSY TIME IN BUCKEYE SHARING THE GOSPEL IN 3 WARDS - FAREWELL ELDER ROMRELL & OTHERS*

Dear Family and Friends,

How are you guys doing?  How's your holiday season going?  Well, I am doing great here in the mission field - Sharing the Gospel and helping others receive the Gospel.  It was a pretty crazy week with Elder Romrell finishing his mission and Transfers.  I did not get transferred, it was a mix up that I was on the transfer text.  My new companion is Elder Severe, he is from Wyoming and has been out for 3 months.  We are short on missionaries this transfer so we lost a companionship in our district and combined their wards with ours.  So for this transfer Elder Severe and myself cover 3 wards in Buckeye 1st, Sundance, and Estria Hills Wards - so we are quite busy and have to really plan our days effectively because we only have 1200 miles for the month.  Elder Severe and his last companion covered Estria Hills and Palo Verde but the other companionship in our district took Palo Verde Ward.  There was a bit of confusion of which wards we were going to cover but we figured it out.  Well despite our challenges we had cover an additional ward.  We had a great week doing missionary work.  We had a wonderful lesson with Allie Delgado on the Book of Mormon and going over the Articles of Faith.  She felt the spirit so strongly that she asked us if she could invite her mother to meet with us and we said sure.  It is so great to see people feel the spirit and have a burning desire to share the Gospel with others so they can have the joy and happiness that comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We also had a great lesson with the Hornberger's kids on remembering the true meaning of Christmas - celebrating the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.  On Friday, we had a great Christmas party for Sundance Ward, Allie, the Hornberger's, and a few less actives came and had a great time.  Then on Saturday we had a Christmas party for Estria Hill, which had delicious food and a wonderful Christmas program.  Sunday was a long day for us covering 3 wards we had to go to the Eason building for Estria Hills sacrament at 8:30 am then we drive to the Sundance Building for Sundance sacrament at 10 am for gospel principles then all 3 meetings for Buckeye 1st ward at 12 pm.  Great Christmas talks with Allie, the Hornberger's kids came to  church for this was the 1st time since I have been here, and Katrina Miller in Estria Hills.  We also met with some new investigators Jared and Darlene which we got to know them and answer their questions about the church.  The weather is starting to get cold.  It rained for a few days this past week which was nice because we needed it.  Well that was my week in the mission field.  Hope everyone is having a great holiday season and sharing the great gift, our Heavenly Father gave us which is his only begotten son - Jesus Christ that atoned for each and everyone one of us so as we show our love to him and live his Gospel so we can have Eternal life.  I love and miss you all.  You are all in my prayers. 

Take Care Love,
Elder Lance Cabral