Jacob 5, Dunk #4, and the Crest of the Hill

Hey everyone!

This week was a very full week to say the least. We had a LOT of awesome things happen. So sit back, buckle up, and I'll fill you in on the latest from the GREAT California Ventura Mission.

First and foremost, ERIC GOT BAPTIZED!!!! :D Can't complain about that! It was a really great service. He was super excited, the Spirit was strong, and we had an awesome turn out! There were over 40 people there, most of them families with kids from our ward that came to support Eric and his mom. We really couldn't have asked for more. He couldn't stop talking about how happy he was after his baptism, and after his confirmation he was obsessing over how "tingly" and happy he felt. Needless to say, we were pretty tingly and happy ourselves. On top of that, Shannon (his mom) invited her non-member boyfriend, Kyle, to come. He very readily introduced himself to us, and he really enjoyed the service. I kept him in the corner of my eye, and it really seemed like the Spirit touched him. We also gave him a tour of the building, answered some questions that he had, and he agreed to join us at our next lesson with Shannon and Eric! That made it all just that much better.

We also got to help out with what has become my favorite service project of my mission. An older couple in our ward has an olive orchard on their property, and they needed some help with an emergency harvest. While they were gone for the weekend, a swarm of fruit flies took a liking to their trees, and they needed as much help as possible salvaging what they could. So we called in the rest of the district, suited up, and played Jacob 5 for the better part of the afternoon.

This week has also been another testimony to me that the Lord will always provide. I've been really concerned over the past few weeks about our teaching pool. It had gone a bit stagnant, and the people that we were teaching consistently were either getting baptized, moving, or weren't really progressing. But this week, we've seen success in finding for the first time in over a month. Like I already mentioned, Kyle agreed to start meeting with us. We also came into contact with a woman named Lois. She was a referral from a member of the high council, and we scheduled a service appointment with her for this last Wednesday. After service, she fed us lunch and we talked religion for over and hour. She shares a lot of our beliefs, and Elder Crook and I haven't been able to figure out how she isn't already a member of the Church. She's also invited us back. And those are just 2 examples! We have a few other very promising potentials that we're working on. It is yet another lesson to me that I need to just have faith and trust in the Lord, because He has total control over the situation. He knows what He's doing, and His work is moving forward as He needs it to.

Also, this week I passed a major milestone. This last Thursday marked one year since I left everything behind and dedicated myself to serving the Lord. To say that this last year has been hard would be an understatement, but failing to mention the countless blessings me and my family have received; the lifelong friends that I've made; and the amazing journey that I've had would be an injustice. This really has been the greatest year of my life. I'm so incredibly grateful to my Heavenly Father for the opportunity that I've had to serve Him and those of His children here in California. I can't begin to express how much I've grown, and how grateful I am that He has made me clay in His Hand, and the wonderful care that He's taken as He continues to mold me into the servant He needs me to be. My testimony has grown to the point that I can testify that I do know that this is His Church. I know the Book of Mormon is true, and I know Joseph Smith was a prophet. I know that Christ lives, I know that the Father lives, and I know that they have again restored the Father's divine Plan to the earth, and I know that by following that Plan we can find the greatest happiness in this life and in the life to come. It is my privilege to go out everyday as one of His appointed servants to share this message with all I come into contact with, and I look forward to this next year I have to do so. I love being a missionary.

I hope that you all have a fantastic week! I love you all :)

Love,
Elder Brennan Jon Rosenlof

1. Harvesting with all our heart, might, mind, and strength.



2. Us with Eric and Brother Gouff!

"Thy Will Be Done"

Hello Everyone!

First off, I'm happy to report that it finally seems like we're done with the arid, Atascadero summer heat. The past few days have been GORGEOUS. 65-70 degrees everyday. It feels like I'm back in Ventura haha! But I'm doing great! We had a pretty great week :)

The events of this week have been pretty crazy. We've spent a lot of time hustling around trying to prepare for this Saturday! Eric is all but there, now. We finished the lessons, got his interview done, and he came to church for his 3rd time so he's all set and ready to get dunked! I couldn't be more excited for him. He's like the little brother that I've never had (whom my parents can attest that I campaigned for vigorously). He reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age. But it's been super cool to see him cling to the gospel and to his Savior. He's soaked up every word that we've taught him, and the solid foundation on which he now stands has changed him dramatically. He's so much more confident in himself, and more optimistic. I am truly blessed to have been put here in Atascadero at a time that he was prepared and ready to receive the gospel.

As for Christina, we have an update: she will not be getting baptized on Saturday, and because she is moving the following Friday she will have to wait so she can be baptized in Oregon. It was a very interesting series of events that led to this, though. First off, the Lord spent a lot of time humbling me this week, which I'll get into in a moment. But for a couple weeks now I've had the nagging feeling that we should just refer Christina up to Oregon and have her baptized there. I always pushed them off, thinking that was ridiculous because she seems ready; President told us to baptize her before she moves; and a number of other reasons. Anyhow, yesterday we were unable to get ahold of Christina before chruch to arrange a ride. We did so anyway and just sent her a message with the details, but when they went by to pick her up there was no answer. She needed to come this week to qualify for baptism, so any plans for that immediately fell through. We went by after church, and she was home and welcomed us in. As it turns out, she was asleep until about 2 pm. She hadn't been able to fall asleep until about 4 am, but her phone had an alarm set so she wasn't to concerned. Well her phone mysteriously turned off in the middle of the night. She still doesn't know how. What I've taken away from all of this is that, even when we aren't humble enough to accept the Lord's council, His will is brought to pass one way or another.

This was a really humbling experience for me, and kind of the cherry on top of a week of humbling experiences. Humility is a tricky thing. Pride is the downfall of every man, and its something that I've learned I can't recognize in myself. But thanks to the loving council of my wonderful mission president and a few promptings that I had myself, I have realized just how proud I have permitted myself to become over the last while. But through the power of the Atonement we can overcome anything, and I can testify that I've seen that power in my life this week. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't painless, but so far its been worth it. He placed those experiences throughout my week so that I would be prepared to accept His will concerning Christina. I'd be lying if I said I'm not a little disappointed, but it feels right. I can tell you with full confidence that this time last week, I wouldn't have the humility to kneel down and say "Thy will be done." I would have much preferred MY will.

Have a wonderful week everyone! Thank you for all of you prayers :) Love ya!

Much love,
Elder Brennan Jon Rosenlof

In honor of his "Hump" Day this week. Here's a throwback

Week of October 12

Hey everyone!

Well this week was pretty fantastic! We're continuing to see a lot of success :) The Lord really has been to kind to us. Let me fill you in on the latest from this week:

First and foremost, we were able to touch base with Christina! Thank you so much to those of you who kept her in your prayers :) Anyhow, we decided to stop by on our way to an appointment, and she answered and told us to come by right after our lesson! We rushed over after we finished up with one of our other investigators, and we were able to sit down and have a good talk with her. She gave us some good news and some bad news. Bad news: since she hasn't been able to find any new housing here in the area, she's being forced to move in with her mom up in Albany, Oregon on the 30th :P Good news: she still wants to get baptized! So we called President Felix and asked him what he thought we should do, and he agreed with us that it would be best to baptize her before she moves. So we rescheduled her date for the 24th! That's also the same day that we have Eric scheduled to get baptized, so not only are we having 2 baptisms this transfer, we're having 2 baptisms on the same day! We're super stoked to say the least.

Eric is also doing fantastic. He's very ready and very excited to get baptized. It's been really cool to see the transformation in both him and Christina. He has had a bit of an unstable life so far, and seeing him cling to the Gospel and start the foundation of a solid testimony of Christ has been awesome. He just soaks up everything we teach him, and you can just see it in his eyes the difference that it has made for him. Its been cool to see his mom come back to it as well. Its really giving her hope and strength to keep pressing forward regardless. But this is not to mention the world of a difference I've seen in Christina since I first met her. She is living proof of the hope that Christ brings. She called us when she was in the pit of despair, and now she somehow has strength to continue on. Seeing all of them change their lives for the better has made my job all the more fulfilling. I love being a missionary :)

That's about all for this week! I'll keep ya'll filled in on the excitement as it comes :) Hope you all have a blessed week!

Love,
Elder Brennan Jon Rosenlof

Ps Pics will follow shortly...

1. Me and Eric! I love this kid.



2. #memberdinnerfast2015 #poutine



3. Atown City Hall. Ain't it majestic?

Week of October 5

Hello Everyone!

Well we had a lot of great stuff happen this week, and then some not so great stuff, but the great stuff made up for the not so great stuff! I'm a little short on time today, so I'll just shoot you the highlights of this week:

1. Eric is scheduled to be baptized on October 24th!!!!! We had some great meetings with him and his mom, and he is SUPER excited to get baptized. He's a really great kid. He's had a bit of a rough life so far, and he needs something that stable and unchanging. What better than the gospel of Jesus Christ to fill that? He just soaks up everything that we teach him, and he absolutely loves the Book of Mormon. We're both very excited for him and his family.

2. We're a little concerned for Christina right now. She's out of the hospital, but we haven't been able to meet with her since then. Ever since she got out she's been so tired that she's spending almost all of her time asleep. We've had a couple appointments set with her, but by the time we show up there's no answer because she's fallen asleep. If you all could keep her in your prayers, that would be much appreciated. She is very prepared for the gospel, but we're just a little worried.

3. CONFERENCE!!!! I really love general conference. Have I mentioned that before? How awesome is it that we just had an opportunity to listen to the Lord's chosen prophets??? That's pretty sweet! Not only that, but we got to see 3 more called to the work!! That's pretty great :) I'm not sure I could pick just one talk as my favorite, but all of them had a t least one line that seemed like it was just for me. I hope all of you had a great experience as well!

By way of transfers, both me and Elder Crook will be camping out here in Atown 1st for another 6 weeks! So stay tuned for all the awesomeness that we're looking forward to this month. Have a great week!!

Much love,
Elder Brennan Jon Rosenlof

Photo Cred Elder Weiss and Fam