GO LUIS!

Hey Everyone,

        It’s been another interesting week with a lot of changes at church here in Hollywood. Part of the changes to the Los Angeles stake adding in the Spanish wards, the ward I attend and the English Hollywood Ward are combining the Primaries and the Youth Programs so they can grow up and work together to build the stake and church in Los Angeles. What happens now is that Hollywood Ward still has sacrament at 9:00am, but now The Spanish ward starts church with classes with the Hollywood ward at 10 00. We end up having sacrament meeting last something I've never done before, and I actually like it a lot as people get to mingle better before classes and by sacrament people are sitting together and are more unified. Unfortunately, Luis wasn't able to make it to church as he got a ride to a party Saturday Night where everyone got super drunk and he couldn't get a ride back home in time. He stayed strong and resisted the temptation to drink, but he's told us that his desire to drink is gone. He’s attending church enough times that he's still on for his baptism on Sunday. He'll be interviewed this Wednesday, and I can't think of anything that will prevent him from coming. Ana Monzon was planning Saturday Night to come to church, but she woke up sick with headaches and nose bleeds, so she didn't come. But she's pretty much committed to progressing and investigating the Church. She's loved the videos we've suggested for her to watch online like the Testaments, Both Restoration Videos and the speech that Elder Bowden of the Seventy gave about the loss of her children. She got a lot of comfort from it and she knows that two of the children that she lost are in a good place and with a purpose. Lastly, I had a pretty cool experience while waiting in the church while my companion was in a leadership meeting. An older couple walked in the foyer, and asked us when church started on Sunday. They were English so I told them that the Hollywood Ward started at 9 00. They said they had been inactive for about 25 years after they both went to BYU, and haven't had any contact with the church at all except Christmas cards from their old bishop and a visit from a missionary couple 2 years ago. Apparently what the missionary had to say to the sister really left an impact on her. They both watched conference and were really touched by President Monson’s talks. This was a great testimony booster for me as it shows that God is aware of all of his children and that he wants all of them to partake in the blessings of the gospel. I love 3 Nephi 28:10-11. And how we can receive [editor’s note: Elder Marrott left this statement incomplete].

Until next week! Os amo tanto

      

Elder Marrott