This week was filled with feeling the Spirit!  Sometimes I can’t believe how often I feel the Holy Ghost.  I have to check myself and make sure that I’m not just getting the goose bumps and chills randomly, and make sure that it truly is a witness of the Spirit.  The conference with Elder Russell M. Nelson was amazing.  Elder Bowen and Garns from the 70 and their wives spoke to us, and then Russell M.  Nelson spoke to us for like 2 hours.  He’s hilarious!  Man, I tell ya, these prophets and apostles just do whatever they want.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a serious meeting or not.  But he is definitely a servant and apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He opened it up for questions, and I loved how quickly he knows the answer to every question no matter what, and especially the way he answered the questions.  It stuck out to me that often he would answer the question with another question.  That’s one thing I would like to improve on.  I feel like answering questions with a question is a great way to help others to realize they may already know the answer, and it will have more meaning to them than just redundant facts. 

One cool thing he taught us: What it means to be truly converted -- one word.

Repentance:

In greek is Metanoeao.

Meta- means Change.   

Noeao is related to:

nou's- mind

gnos- knowledge

penume-spirit and air

pneo- breathe.

So you know you’ve truly repented and are truly converted if you have a change in mind, knowledge, spirit, and even the very way you breathe. 

 Stake Conference for Easter Sunday was a treat as well. Brother Bowen is a powerful speaker.  I loved the messages his wife shared in both the mission conference and stake conference, as well.  It was so good to celebrate Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We had dinner , (Ham :) )last night with Brother David Magnusson, former stake president and scholar in literally every gospel topic ever.  He is one of the most passionate people about the gospel I have ever met.   He is super motivating, and  also buddies with Pres. Uchtdorf.  You meet so many cool people in Cali.

I’m sure you’ve all seen the video, “Because of Him” for Easter.  If not,  you probably don’t have very many friends on Facebook.  Russell M. Nelson told us it will have 10 million views by Easter, and so far it has been seen in 189 different countries and the number one state/province with the most views-you guessed it- California.  We have been asked to show it to everyone.

We have been super busy preparing everything for Y---'s baptism tomorrow. Everything is good to go and we are really excited. We have made daily contact with her, and she seems a little nervous about the water, but really excited too.  She has invited a lot of her friends and family from Fresno to attend the baptism as well.  She attended Stake Conference yesterday and really enjoyed it. We talked with her husband finally yesterday and he is not interested in coming to church or taking the lessons or anything like that, but said he will gladly support her and he is coming to her baptism tomorrow night to support her as well.  We are praying he will feel the spirit at the baptismal service and have the desire to become an eternal family.  I am super grateful to be the one she chose to baptize her. 

Love, Elder P.