Monday, January 14, 2013

Awesome Bishop with Awesome House!


Hey Everyone,

       It has been another fun week here in SoCal, where it’s been a little chilly but it’s always sunny and breezy. It’s weird living by the beach again. After we emailed last week, Elder Low and I went to see the Redondo Beach in our area. Oh man it was amazing. After living in the inner most part of the city of Los Angeles with of the hustle and bustle and crazy people and drivers, it felt super relaxing to sit by the beach. It is quite therapeutic and it's helped take off the stress of the work. But right now it couldn't be better. Elder Low and I had a very successful week with most of our investigators. After a long time Cynthia and her 5 daughters plus her sister Nicole came to church. They all have missing coming to church and especially with Cynthia and the stress she goes through raising her daughters. She seemed very at peace and uplifted after all the classes. She's been committed to be baptized for a while and her sister too but they both aren't married to their boyfriends, but it seems like they are making progress to getting it done soon hopefully both my next month. I'm super excited for them. One of the funniest parts about serving in this area is working with our ward mission leader Bishop Carlos Madrid! I would have to say he's the richest and most spiritual person I've ever met! I met him before in my first area because he gave us the referrals of Freddy and Martiza who live in one of hundreds of buildings he owns in Los Angeles. He and I have clicked really well because we both understand how insane the people are that live in that apartment and they have given us both grief spiritually and with him financially by not paying their rent. Anyway he's got quite the life story. He started out dirt poor as a kid living in Redondo Beach area, but grew up all his life faithful in the church. He served his mission in Mexico came back to go to college and now he owns several properties in LA. His house is quite the mansion. We go over to his house for coordination and he had painted in the entrance of his door inside, a mural of the waters of Mormon. Also in his dining room, he has a on the top of the wall a painting of the last supper personally and professionally painted just for him. I will have to send photos. Anyway, he's served as a branch president, 3x as bishop, and was a mission president in the Dominican Republic. A couple years ago as well, he survived a major stoke, so now he walks around with a really cool cane everywhere. He's bald as well and he makes jokes about it all the time. He has quite a strong testimony of the gospel and is quite the missionary. On Tuesday we brought him over to a lesson with us with a referral we received from Mormon.org. Her name is Maria Garcia and she referred herself to the missionaries after one of her friends told her about the church. She mentioned to us that she always felt good driving past the church building. Anyway, we had a lesson with her and her sister, even before we started the lesson, Bishop Madrid already committed both of them to baptism! Super strong testimony! We are looking forward to working with them more. Well, have a good week and I talk to you next Monday!

Os amo tanto!

Elder Marrott    

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