Week 77 Pictures

Christmas Eve Hike

Christmas food from families

Fire Hydrant outside the Dale's house

More pictures from the hike

Our Christmas Tree

Fun with the Hunters

Week 77

The very last Christmas on the mission!

So happy!

Neat. This week was great, not a lot happened, we got to go Oakland for a Christmas meeting, had transfers, went on a Christmas ever hike, then had Christmas! Christmas was awesome. We had Church meetings, called the fam, then went to the Hunter's house, it was SO fun!! We just ate good food and played games with their family. After that we went to the Austins house, which was equally fun, we just played with all the little kids they have and watched the church's Christmas videos, very good. I love Christmas. I love the Savior. I love Trying to be like the Savior. It was a very good week. I hope every one elses Christmas was great also!!

Love,

Elder Tolman

Week 76

Merriest of Christmas's!

This week was great. Miracles galore!!

Monday was cool, we went to teach Scott and had an awesome lesson on Faith and how that is the only way that he is really going to be able to learn truths about God, he really is worried about evidence and what not, but he is awesome and really sincerely wants to learn. Brother Wright that we have eaten with a couple times came with us, he is the man.

Tuesday we had a practice for caroling with our district, then District meeting, then dinner with the Jones, they are awesome, he is the PR rep for Playstation, they have us a referral for a family they know, they weren't interested, but it was still awesome direction! After that we went and tracted the rest of the night!

Wednesday we had exchanges, me and Elder Kauvaka were together, he is from Hawaii, it was great, we had dinner with one of their members and they gave us SO MUCH FOOD. It was awesome. We met a lot of really cool people tracting up in the really rich neighborhood on the hill, it was a blast.

Thursday we had a crazy service. We got a call in the middle of personal study from the crystal springs 1st Elders asking us to go help them clean a hoarder house. It was totally disgusting. Nasty piles of trash totally packed in to this one tiny room, we discovered that underneath all of it were two beds, a crib, a dresser, and a tv. it took 7 hours and 12 missionaries but we finished it. It was crazy. we went and contacted referrals after that then helped brother Callaghan with something at the church. 

Friday was weekly planning and we planned all day and ate dinner and went and contacted referrals and tracted.

Saturday we first had a lesson with a guy named Milton, he's Baptist and really interested, he committed to read and pray about the book of Mormon and said he wants his wife to learn about it with him!!! Next we had a blitz in Crystal Springs 1st, it was really successful! Then we had dinner with the one and only Elder Oborne, or as he now goes, Will. He trained Elder Henson last year and went home 6 months ago, it was so fun to talk with him!!

Sunday we had church, and it was invitation Sunday, and we had three nonmember families attend with a total of 14 nonmembers there!!! It was awesome!! Right now we are getting ready to start working with three new families, plus Milton's family, so all in all 4 new families!!!

This week was awesome. I saw the hand of the Lord in our area. It is so rare to find families here, Almost unheard of, and this week we were blessed to meet 4!!!! I love being a missionary!! I hope everyone has a good week!! Merry Christmas!!!

Love,

Elder Tolman

Week 75

6 month countdown begins!

Hello hello! not a whole lot happened this week, it was pretty average. Monday was some tracting and we went to Downtown San Mateo and contacted around the mall

Tuesday we had a district singing practice and then went and contacted former investigators, we met this one lady named Yolanda and set a return appointment for Sunday! We also ate dinner with Sister Smith and Jarrett again, which was fun as always. Then we got the projector and everything to take to zone conference the next day.

Wednesday we got up bright and early to go set up Zone conference with the San Francisco zl's (they were both in the MTC with me, just Chinese). That went really well. We got asked to give a surprise demonstration of The Plan Of Salvation, and it was definitely one of the best demonstrations I have given my entire mission, President emailed us both and said "It was great. Really." That's the only time either of us have been complimented on our teaching by President, so that made our whole week. That night we had dinner with the Richards, she's a professional artist. Neat family. Then we went to Brother Callaghans house, I really really like Brother Callaghan. He's a professor at the community college. 

Thursday is a blur, I have no idea what happened but I am sure it was totally awesome and filled with the spirit. All I remember is talking to this nice Catholic lady that liked that we wear name tags.

Friday was awesome. For lunch we went to a cool little thrift shop we found, then weekly planned, then had dinner with the Farnsworth's, they just moved here from Ireland a bit ago. The rest of the night we contacted at the mall, it was good.

Saturday we had some emergencies with elder Henson's debit card, then a blitz, we met a bunch of Tongan families and got food from each of them. After that we went to Benj's house and ate dinner with their family, it was great. That night we went and met the Leota family, we have been trying to meet them for weeks, so we were really pumped!!

Sunday was good too, there were a ton of visitors in Sacrament meeting, then we got to eat at a Tongan families house for dinner and ate a bunch of Horse-meat, it was a blast, they thought we wouldn't eat it, but little did they know we came from the Cambodian branch and ate gross food all the time! Bwahahaha! Then that night we went and taught Yolanda! she was really nice, not all that into the lesson, but we made a compromise to visit her again next week, we will bring trader joes Christmas cookies, and she will make hot chocolate, and then we will talk about the plan of salvation with her. Good deal. 

All things said and done, this was a great week, I like how calm it was, even if we didn't get to teach a ton, we still are feeling great. I love a challenge.  I love the members.  I love the missionaries.  Most importantly, I definitely love the Lord, and I'm happy to take his message to people even if all they do is ignore us, it's too important not to try.  I hope everyone's Christmas season is rolling and fun and filled with service and happy things. I love you all!!

Merry Christmas!

Elder Tolman

Week 73 Pictures

Week 74 Pictures

 

Heres me and Elder forsyth sayin goodbye like three weeks ago

 

We have a humidifier and we play with it all the time

 

Here's Elder Ey's Trainee, Elder Davis!! Three generations!!

Week 74

Holy cow this last week was nuts. No spare time for us at all, just the way we like it! 

Monday we got the oil changed for the truck and went and played guitars at guitar center while we waited, then went to district meeting, had dinner, went to get our accountability ready for MLC.

Tuesday was temple day, so it was day two waking up at 5:30 so that we could make it to our session, Which was awesome, my favorite visit to the temple thus far. That night we helped figure out a phone emergency for the vehicle coordinator, then we finished MLC accountability.

Wednesday was MLC! we were there pretty much all day, it was good, afterwards we went to dinner, then went to a zone blitz.

Thursday was great, we helped plant a new tree at the church, then that night we had and awesome ZLC meeting to tell about everything President said, it was great. 

Friday we did stake reports all day, not fun but needed to be done.

Saturday we had a blitz in our area and it was awesome, there were so many miracles!! We met with four new people on the ward list and had a few investigator lessons!! we are super excited to follow up with all the people that we met!! that night we had dinner with the Hunters, and they invited us to their house on Christmas! we are excited! then we put the finishing touches on our Report!

Sunday was the fourth 5:30 wake up for the week, we had stake coordination, then church meetings, then studies, then dinner with the Mcquays and Tarbuttons, tons of fun. A cool miracle at church! There is a family that lives in our apartment complex that is SO PREPARED!! They are the nicest people and have three little boys, and the Dad is starting his own flooring business, but we have been getting to know them, and they have friends that are members in menlow park, and they decided to come to church and just walked in to sacrament meeting!! They said they loved it and plan on starting to come every week and said that they would take the lessons!! Woo! That night we went and watched the Christmas Devotional, and I loved Elder Oaks talk so much, after that we had our sunday night calls for the Zone, then finally got to bed at just before midnight to close up the week

I love being exhausted. I love serving people. I just love being a missionary. The Lord is blessing us for working in diligence and faith, this is undoubtedly his work. I hope everyones Christmas is going well! I love you!!

Love,

Elder Tolman

Week 73

This last week was pretty great! 

Monday we went to see a guy named Scott, he was awesome, really nice guy. He has been taught for a long time, but he says he wants to know the truth, so we went to tell it to him!

Tuesday was pretty slow, we tracted and went to district meeting, then we got a call to go give a blessing! We started driving to the hospital, then they called back and said that he passed away, it was really sad... then we went and got Chipotle with the tagalog elders and the spanish sisters, then we went and taught Rick AND his friend Mika that he invited over to hear the message!! Our member that came, Brother mcmannis, was "blown away' with how it went, it was so awesome. 

Wednesday was lame and nothing happened, I'm sorry

Thursday was great! we played rugby with the zone, the tongans taught all of us how to play. Then dinner with cox's, what a blast, then long naps and stake reports.

Friday was weekly planning. 

Saturday was spent visiting missionaries, there was a crazy storm and we all were asked to stay inside cause of stuff on the roads and the ridiculous rain

Sunday was pretty normal, not a ton happened. 

 

Sorry this is rushed, we have a small emergency to go take care of, but the church is true, everything we are involved in is INSPIRED!!! this is the lords work!! I have been an instrument in his hands too many times to deny that he is living and directing his work by his power, and I am blessed to be a witness of it!! I love you all!

Elder Tolman

Week 72 pictures