email: May 13, 2013

Subject: Three Down and One to Go....

I have looked forward in getting to call home for a while. I love getting to talk with y’all about the stuff going on and getting to see the family. Dad surprised me with his facial hair! I think he looks good with it growing out. However, it's sad knowing that I only have one more time Skyping home then I will be home from California... But it is okay, I am going to make the most out of my time here in California. So I know that we already talked about my week and the past five months but here we go :)

Monday was filled with getting things ready for the transfer over to Hemet. I didn't realize how much CRAP I had until I started to move. We ran around and said goodbye to a few more people then we got a call from the vehicle coordinator that we are ready to trade our Malibu in for a new car. So we ran down to Riverside to pick up the new car for the new Zone Leaders. Guess what car they got? They got a 2013 Ford Fusion. It was so cool to get to drive a BRAND NEW CAR! That will be the first and last time that I ever drive a new car. Brother M**** came and picked me up and we loaded up my stuff into the back of the truck. I got to fit everything into the back of the truck, weight set and all! I had such a good talk as we drove down to Hemet. We talked about my struggles I have had lately in my personal life and my concerns with the new assignment. I live with a good group of guys and I love them to pieces. I put the weight set out in the garage and now we basically have our own gym.

My first night in Hemet was interesting. Every person that I talked to that night screamed and yelled at me that I am going to hell for being a Mormon. Oh man, was I fuming. But I got over it and kept my head on straight. We have a nice townhouse but BOY was it dirty! Elder Hawkins is a good guy but we have a few different ideas about how missionary work is supposed to work. He LOVES less-active work and I don't like it too much. So we will see how it all works out.

Since the apartment was a mess, I decided that we were going to deep clean the entire apartment thoroughly and that everyone was going to help. So we went to the 99 cent store and got cleaning supplies and we went to work. We worked from 10 am to 3:30 pm, getting the apartment looking better. Now the Spirit can reside there and we can work effectively. We went over the area and we cover a huge area. We cover parts of Hemet, Winchester, Homeland and part of Romoland. I still am trying to learn the area but I am going to get it done. This area hasn't had a baptism in a very long time and I am going to change that.

Wednesday was an all-out blitz to find people. We got the bikes out and we went riding. We rode about 10 miles and we talked to everyone that we saw. We got a few potentials and hopefully they will turn into new investigators. We saw our usual less-actives and it was a very long day. We did a ton of finding but hey, that is the process we are in right now. So needless to say, I was dead tired. Thursday is the day that we are going to see if our potentials are going to turn into new investigators.

We picked up two new investigators after we gave them a blessing in their home. They have super big potential and I am super excited that I get to be a part of their journey. This area has so much potential that I am super excited about seeing how things go. We continued to do more finding on Friday and meeting with people, trying to find people to teach.

On Saturday, we got a mini missionary to come out with us. I took the young man out finding on the bikes and that was quit an amazing experience for the young man. He got to talk to people and OYM (Open Your Mouth) for the first time. I love this work and I love being a part of it. After mission, I don't know how or where I'm going to find happiness so I have to keep soaking it in as long as I can.

I was super excited about Mother's Day and talking with the family. We also found a GOLDEN new investigator and he is going to be baptized here in the next few weeks hopefully. When I stood up to shake his hand, he sized me up and my size really surprised him. He hasn't seen a big boy like me in a while, he said. I love Skyping home and it was amazing to get to talk to family. I love y’all dearly. The family I Skyped from, I got to know them very personally and it was awesome to get to talk with them. Overall, it was a decent week. I am going to keep my head up and keep working has hard as I can.

With other news, Victor will get his mission call this week! I am super stoked about that and I can't wait to get that call from him. I love y'all and I am so happy to call you my family.

Elder Tonini