Transfers and Trunk-e-mails

Dear Family,

"Did you think to pray?"

SOO transfers calls were this Saturday, Elder White is leaving and it's official, I will be dying here in Prince William. Which I am completely fine with, It's going to be great!!!  We have like 5 people that need to be baptized by February!!!!  Isata and Amirah are going to be baptized for sure on the 31st.  I'm super excited for that.  Isata is like in her 30's and she is Amirah's aunt, who is 11.  Amirah lives with Isata and her less active husband Hassan and he is the legal guardian.  They are both way solid!!  I'm so excited to see them continue to progress.  Cristina and her 8 year old daughter are going to be baptized too!!  She is a single mom and she just wants church and God to be a normal part of her life again.  I love teaching her, she is so sweet. We had some push back with Jerry Davis this week as well as Yolanda.  They both called us out of no where and told us that they don't want to be baptized anymore.  Yolanda has always been super flaky so that wasn't a surprise, but we're pretty worried about Jerry.  We think that he might of gotten some anti by his family.  But we'll talk to him and work things out and it will be great.  There are so many more people that need to be baptized, it's crazy!! These last 6 weeks are going to be pretty busy. 

My thinking cap!

That is awesome!!  James has been keeping me updated on how the video was doing and I was so surprised!!  I never expected the views to shoot up so fast, but I'm really grateful that he was able to do that for me, he is way tight and I would go record with him every P-Day for the rest of my mission, but he's going back to Utah :(  I think he's actually leaving today which is really sad cause he's helped us out a lot. 

So I finally got "The Email".   This is what it said :

This is to inform you of your release date from service in the Virginia Richmond Mission on 25 February 2015.

Mom!!!!! That is crazy!!!  I set a goal to finish the Book of Mormon by the end of my mission too!! It looks like we are about in the same spot!!  I have to do the same thing to be able to finish by February!!  7-8 pages a day!!  Which is really hard, cause I like to use my personal study time to study things for my investigators, but I've been finding time here and there.  As I've been reading through the Book of Mormon for the last time on my mission I've been highlighting any time God, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Ghost are mentioned.  It has been incredible.  I feel like it has truly helped me to keep the members of the Godhead at the focus of my study and I've been surprised just how much and how many various ways that these three being are addressed.  Such a testimony builder.

There are so many good things happening in our area right now!!  Isata Kamara and her niece Amirah who is 11 are getting baptized at the end of January!!  As well as our friend Jerry Davis!  They are awesome and we are teaching a lot of other people who need to be baptized like, Ana Lovo. So solid.  Yolanda Tilton, who just needs to have some faith.  Cristina, Who is a miracle waiting to happen.  and Chris Cuevas who is going to be baptized.  and so many more!! and I wish I could tell you about each and every one of them, but I have to much to say about each of them, and it would take forever.  We have been so blessed, the Lord has trusted us with so many of his elect sons and daughters!

I never did get those other letters from Christmas.. but it's all good.

It sounds like everyone is having a lot of fun!!! It sounds like a lot of fun stuff is coming up!!  I can definitely understand that you're excited for me to come home.  I am too, and I have realized that it's okay for me to be excited because I've also realized just how lucky I have been for the past 23ish months to be a full time representative of Jesus Christ.  I never really understood it before but I know with all of my heart that the time I've been given to serve the Lord with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength has been a privilege.  I haven't love every second of it, that's just honesty but I have loved every second from it, because from each and every second came the person I am today and the love I have for my Savior now and it's not done yet! I still have so much to learn!  There is more change through trial to be had in these last 50ish days.  More adversity to face and I'm so grateful for it, because of the person it has made me.. or rather the person He has made me.  I want you all to know how much I love my Savior and just how sure I am that God loves each and every one of his children.  There is no doubt of the pure love that God has for each and every one of us in my mind.  I love you all so very much, don't forget it. Have a great week!!! 

Dear Family,
It was no joke, the best Christmas present to be able to be with you guys for Christmas.   Even if it was only for a little bit over the computer haha it was seriously the best thing!  I love you guys!!   haha the work is continuing to pick up here!!  Just yesterday we went on an exchange and one of our zone leaders came and we now have 3 maybe 4 people set on date to be baptized here in January!!  It's so great!! The Lord is being so merciful and I'm just very grateful that he has trusted us to teach some of his most prepared children here at this time, especially towards the end of my mission. 

I don't have a lot of time!!!  Mom you wanted those song lyrics so I'm gonna use the rest of my time to type those up for you  I LOVE YOU ALL!! 

Sons & Daughters by Elder Sahagun Click to listen

Can I ask you a question about divine intervention?

and if I asked you right now would you shine some light down

and help me through this 

help me through this.

White shirt and slacks x5 a suitcase on either side 

Ignore the tear that's in my eye, do up my suit and swallow pride

Yeah this is what I've dreamed of, this is what I've lived for

This is what the pennies in my bank have all been saved for

A curbside goodbye my little sister starts to cry 

My family watch me walk away but no one thinks of asking "why?"

I can't believe my eyes so many people on this quest 

So many things that make us different, except for one name on our chest.

Sons and daughters of proud mothers and fathers 

You are chosen, you are called 

and you are not forsaken, He is with us all 

We are sons and daughters of God 

Now my breathings heavy, I'm pitted with survival

My pace is steady set for the extra mile

My heart is ready sights forward and focused

I'm dedicated and my foes all know this

My vision's clear, I know death is not the end for me 

I rep Christ the natural man is the enemy 

Yeah two years and I'm here to stand tall

Never trippin Never slippin, giving nothing but my all 

Chorus 

Now been gone a year is this where I'm suppose to be 

It's been awhile, I kinda miss my family 

Not sure it's worth it being away 

Try to talk to all the people they don't care what I say 

I got holes in my shoes and doubt in my heart 

I'm putting pieces back together just to watch 'em fall apart

Sit down and cry "Is there something I'm suppose to seee

I feel so lost and then I hear my Father speak to me 

"I know your run down and your soul feels broken 

but this is just a trial not a wrong path you've chosen 

It's rough, and I know you miss your family 

but your sacrifice helps others so they won't feel that for eternity 

Chorus 

Step off the plane so fast it could of been a dream 

The faces pass as I go through all the memories 

I'll never forget it that very first day 

I couldn't know it in the moment but know I wish I could've stayed 

I'll never be the same and I'll cherish every memory 

Those times I fell down never thought they'd mean the world to me

Got no shame became most of who I'm suppose to be

Forever changed with the bulk of life ahead of me 

Mom, look at me know can you tell me that you're proud?

Dad, can you tell this man is different than the boy that left your house?

Born of goodly parents and now I know my true identity 

These people all around are part of one eternal family 

Chorus

Lord, I just want to mention I think you answered my question

I wanna thank you right now for the love that I found

To help me through this, to help me through this 

You helped me through this

I love you all so very much, this gospel is soo true and I know it with all of my heart and I'm so very grateful to be a missionary right now, representing Jesus Christ and bringing His gospel to all of the sons and daughters of God.

I hope you all have a great week!!! 

Elder Sahagun

Dear Family, 

I'm so excited to be able to Skype you guys!!!  I feel like I have so much to tell you guys, but I'll probably end up forgetting by the time we get to Skype haha AHHHH it's crazy.. Dylan Lamb and Heather Jensen???  YEAH!! haha knew it.  that is crazy.  I can't believe Jared already got his release date.. .I guess I don't have one yet... maybe I'll extend?  I'll let you know when I find out.  SOO  for Skype, we'll be calling from our breakfast appointment at around 10 here so at around 8 your time be expecting a call :) we'll text to let you know when to be expecting it.  Can't wait to talk to you guys!!! See ya soon!! 

Dear Family,
Well it has been a great week of #sharing the gift with the people here in Virginia.  It is really really cold, but I bundle up and stay pretty comfortable so biking isn't too terribly awful!   Elder White and I are staying super busy with a pretty comfortable sized teaching pool of about 20 or so investigators!  It's really nice, but it can be stressful at times.  Weekly planning, which usually takes about 2 hours takes twice as long now which is really hard because no one wants to stay inside for 4 hours and plan when you could be sharing the gospel with people, but I do understand that it is a very important, if not the most important part of missionary work setting goals and planning is very crucial... but it's not always fun... and we all know that I do not do very good with things that are not fun.  but I've gotten a lot better since being on my mission at doing those un-fun really important things.  

The Ward is great!! We have been fed every single day this month and have meals planned though half of January as well,  It's a good thing that I'm on bike or it would really ruin my last 2 and a half months of my "6 months to sexy" hahaha mom, dad, and Heather.  Was that a thing in your missions as well? They are also really helping us a lot with exchanges, we have three nights a week where we have true splits (two people taking a missionary each) it really helps us to fellowship the people we are teaching!!  Currently we are looking at 4 or  people to be baptized here in the next two months!! 

If I had time I would tell you about each of them and how awesome they are but I really have like zero time..  so would you please pray for: Jerry Davis, Isata (ice-eh-tah) Kamara and Amarah Kamara, Darryl Chalmers, and Chis Cuevas..  Pray that they will be able to prepare for either the 27th of dec.  or the 10t of Jan for baptism!! 

I love you all so much and can't wait to see all of your faces!!! I hope that you have a great week!!! 

My Dearest Family, 

   This week has been crazy.. and by crazy I mean really hard and cold and rainy..  but the work must go forward!!  We have a lot of good things happening in our area!  We've set a goal to baptize 4 people this month!!  pray for us!!  We have the 4 people in mind and it's a totally achievable goal.. we just need the Lord's help haha.

I am so excited for Christmas!!  If you haven't seen the new He is the gift video yet, then stop what you are doing right now and watch it...then #ShareTheGift because it is incredible.  We've got these special He is the gift cards and we've been handing them out to everyone and watching the video just with anyone and everybody who will take 2 minutes out of their life!  It's great I love it.  One of the houses we tracted into was pretty sketch.. they had a bunch of signs up in their window that said they would shoot us if we knocked on their door and had a giant skull in their lawn from dead grass.. it was pretty interesting to say the least I'll attach a pic 

All I want for Christmas is a Taylor Swift tie.. if they even have those.. but really I'm just excited to see all of your faces and get to talk to you!!! I feel like it's been forever since our last Skype!! It's going to be super weird not doing our usual 3 way skype!! but I'm still just way excited to see all of you

Mom- I think... not sure yet, that my departue date will be the 25th of Feb.  that's just a guess because missionaries in our mission usually go home the wednesday after transfers which will be the 24th.. but I'll let you know for sure when I get me trunky papers :\ 

Dad- your class sounds... challenging to say the very least, but I mean could it really be more challenging than years 14-18 with me? haha you got this 

Heather!!!  It looks like you are just having so much fun!!!!  I'm super happy for you!!!  I can't believe you've been home for as long as you have!! I mean you're almost done with your first semester back!!  Life is crazy.. I miss you

Tyler Yooo Bruhhh, I got your letter!! man you are gettin fast.. and still growin, cut it out haha just jokes but man I miss you for real keep the letters coming 

JB!!  it was so good to get your email! It sounds like there is a lot of exciting stuff coming up for you here this next year!!  You sound so grown up even in your emails!!  It's crazy!! Keep giggling and laughing, I miss you're silliness :) 

I love you all so much!! I hope that you all have a great week!!! 

Elder Sahagun

Family!!!!  

Well happy thanksgiving one and all, It was so great to think about all of the things that I'm grateful for!!  

Heather!!  I set a goal to finish the 500 things that I was grateful for before the end of my personal study on November 27th, and I finished at about 8:58 hahaha I was cutting it pretty close, but it was A LOT harder than I thought it would be I had to get pretty creative... the 500 things included a lot including 22 individual reasons why I am thankful for Taylor Swift.  Two of my favorite things from that were. #13 "I am thankful for Taylor Swift because she's got a Indie record that's much cooler than mine." and #18 "I am thankful for Taylor Swift because she wears short skirts and I wear T-shirts" ... so yeah I got pretty creative and had a lot of fun with it, but it really did help me realized so many little things that I am truly grateful for.

We had two meals on thanksgiving, one was a lunch with ribs and all this incredibly tasting non-thanksgiving type of food... which was great!  and then we had dinner at our ward mission leaders house with his family!  They do a way cool tradition, every thanksgiving they go around the table and say something that they are grateful for, alphabetically, so starting with A, B, C.... I think you get it... but it was really cool!  

Soooo transfers calls were last Saturday, I'm not leaving but there are some big changes in our area.  We used to have 4 missionaries in our ward and the house that we are living in.  But now the other two Elders are leaving and their area is being shut down.. which basically means that we are going to be taking over their area.. so we're getting all of their investigators, recent converts, less actives and potentials and are covering their half of the ward now.. which is crazy because we aren't getting a car.. sooo we are going to be doing some pretty long hilly bike rides..... it's great.  I'm pretty excited!

TAMBA AND AIAH WERE BAPTIZED!! It was such a great thing!!  and even better, both of their non-member parents, (very supportive of their decision)  came to the baptism!!  It was incredible.  I love em to death.. I'll attach some pics 

It was so nice to hear about your thanksgiving!!  It sounds like it was just a blast!!  I definitely missed grandma's orange rolls!!  I look forward to getting to see you all in like 23 days!!!  I love you all so much!!  have a great week!! 

Elder Sahagun