What My Mission Means To Me

Hello everybody!
This email will be a little different than usual. It is my last day in the mission field! And I was asked by my mission president to write for him what my mission means to me. I hope that this adequately expresses how I feel. It's kind of long, so if you don't want to read it all you can just scroll down to the bottom and read my testimony at the end:)
Everyone can now get ahold of me at michaelsfrancis@gmail.com ! For those of you on missions, please keep forwarding your weekly emails to my new address! For those who aren't, you can also contact me on Facebook at Michael Francis and on Instagram at michaelfrancis97 (I think... it has been two years hahaha).
I love you all so much! Thank you for all of your prayers, your support, and your love that has made my mission such a life changing experience!

What does my mission mean to me? How does one express the answer to such a powerful and soul-searching question? Well I might've found it to be a bit easier, had my mission not been so meaningful and so life changing as it has. And I believe that as the years go by and the effects of my mission change the course of my life, it will come to mean even more. But for now, I will try to adequately express the depth of my feeling and the extent of just how special and how sacred my mission is to me. 

King Benjamin posed a powerful question, "How knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" My mission has been so sacred and so special to me because as I have served the Lord, I have come to know Him so much more.
As I have served the Lord, I have come to love and treasure the scriptures and the time I get to spend studying them. The scriptures contain within their delicate pages the very character and nature of Christ. The words of the scriptures are endowed with power. By feasting upon them and by treasuring them up in our lives we come to know Christ's character. We come to know also how we can develop that character in our own lives.
As I have served the Lord, He has taught me His gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a checklist of items that we must complete in order to be saved. It is a pattern of living that cleanses us from our sins and gives us the strength to resist sin. It is the only pattern of living that will prepare us to dwell in the kingdom of God. It is the only way back to our heavenly home. I have become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ on my mission, and I will continue to deepen my conversion by exercising my faith, repenting, renewing my covenants through the sacrament and thereby earn again the promise of the Spirit throughout the rest of my life.
As I have served the Lord, He has granted me the gift of charity. I have come to understand so much more deeply and powerfully the love that God has for His children. He is ever involved in their lives, and He cares immensely for each precious child. In His love, He has prepared a way for every single child of God to return to His presence. He has given me the eyes to see them as His children. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father.
As I have served the Lord, he has taught me of His character and attributes and has helped me develop them. When we do what the Lord does, we become like He is. I have learned from His faith, His humility, His patience, His hope, and He has helped me develop greater faith, greater humility, greater patience, and greater hope. As I turn to the Lord in my weakness and rely on His Atonement, He has given me the strength to put off the natural man and become more saintly. He has made my weaknesses strengths.
As I have served the Lord, I have found the Savior's teaching  in Matthew 10:39 to be true. "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." I have strived every day of my mission to lose myself in His service, and He has rewarded me immensely. Words cannot express the gratitude and the joy that I feel, knowing that I was able to be an instrument in His hands to bring some soul to Him. At an early time in my mission, I wrote the following poem called The Servant's Prayer:

As a humble servant I implore thee this day,
For thy will, O Lord, which I long to obey.
I come before thee, brought low by my pride,
In thy spirit and love oh I yearn to reside!

How grateful I am for my favor in thy sight,
For thou art my life and my eternal light.
Countless nights thou hast filled my poor cup,
Through angelic hosts sent to bear me up.

Forgive me, I pray, for my mounting sin,
But know, Blessed Father, I will never give in.
To thy strength I will turn from my error and wrong,
That through thee my weaknesses might be made strong.

With thy master's touch shape my broken heart,
For I am the clay, and the potter thou art.
A tool in thy hand, Lord I long to be,
That I might help bring precious souls unto thee.

Oh how He has shaped my broken heart! He has changed my life.
I could continue forever on all of the things I have learned and the lives that have been blessed through my missionary service, but I will just finish with how as I have served the Lord, He has made Himself known unto me in a greater degree. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know that He lives. He suffered and died for the pains and the sins of the world, that all might come unto Him. He submitted perfectly and entirely to the will of His Father, completing all that He was sent to do. He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world. All that I am and hope to be is because of the Savior Jesus Christ. I love Him so much. I want to give everything to Him, because He gave everything for me. God lives. This is His work. I know it, and it has changed my life forever. That is what my mission means to me.
-Elder Francis
1) the three amigos. I sure love these two. (P.C. To Daniel Rivera, best ward mission leader ever)

Zone Conferences!!!...again...

What an incredible week it has been in sunny California! We had Zone
Conferences this last week, and we were able to give a training to the
mission (for my 5th time) on the role of the Holy Ghost in conversion.
I love being able to hear all the comments and insights of all of the
missionaries throughout the mission! There are some inspired
missionaries! This quote sums up our training: "The Spirit is the most
important single element in this work. With the Spirit magnifying your
call, you can do miracles for the Lord in the mission field. Without
the Spirit, you will never succeed regardless of your talent and
ability." It's true, it's true!
I was also able to go on an exchange with one of my good friends Elder
Mills this week! We were asked to go and visit a member in the ER and
give them a blessing. We walked in, and on our way to the room, we
heard a "Hey Elders!" We stopped and saw a young woman in a hospital
gown calling to us from her room. She is a member in Cyprus. She asked
if we would be able to give her a blessing. Of course, we gave her
one. The Spirit was strong as we did, and it filled the small hospital
room with a sweet peace. Afterwards, we asked why she was in the ER,
and she informed us that she had attempted to commit suicide. We told
her as representatives of the church and the Lord how much He loved
her, and how happy we were that she was still with us! The Spirit
washed us over with the love of God. It was a special experience. I'm
so grateful that she recognized us as servants of the Lord, and that
for the priesthood we bear.
We found a new investigator named Pasindu last week! He is from Sri
Lanka and accepted the invitation to be baptized! He was so grateful
that we would spend our time to help him come closer to God. Things
like that really help me put my calling into the right perspective. I
love being a missionary.
Well folks, this next week is the last one of my mission! I am going
to give everything that I have, every ounce of strength, every waking
thought, every motive and intention to the Lord! I'm going to sprint
to the finish. 'When Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile, he
collapsed at the finish line into the hands of his well-wishers. A
journalist, sensing all that was involved in that historic moment
wrote: “The runner, open-mouthed, thin-legged, knowing only pace and
goal, spending his strength so that at the finish, at one mile, there
was nothing more.' For a consecrated missionary there is nothing more
to give at the end of the day. He has put it all on the altar of
sacrifice."
That's what I hope to do. I love you all! Have a great week everyone!

-Elder Francis
P.s. Shoutout to the Storlands who left us for Nevada! We love and miss you!

1) Pday activity with some Spanish missionaries

2) the District at Zone Conference feat. the Taggarts

3) waiting on our investigator

4) my little Venezuelano

5) lunch at Cali Taco

6) the Taggarts took a picture of us during our training....

HE IS BACK!!!!

What a fantastic week we have had here in Anaheim! Well- kind of in
Anaheim... we got to go on three exchanges, and I left the area all
three times! I spent a day in Costa Mesa, a day in Placentia, and a
day in Fullerton, each with an awesome missionary. In Fullerton I had
a really cool experience:
So the week before last week I was on ANOTHER exchange with Spanish
missionaries in Fullerton. While walking through an apartment complex,
we met a woman named Lisa. She told us that she had recently been
diagnosed with terminal cancer, and that she would be interested in
learning more about the gospel. She didn't speak Spanish though, so
she gave us her apartment number and said the English missionaries
could come by!
Then flash forward to my exchange (now in the English program) in
Fullerton on Friday! My companion Elder Sami said we were going to go
visit a referral, except the apartment number was put in incorrectly,
so they couldn't find her. At that point, we pulled up to the complex,
and it was the same one I had met Lisa in the week before! "Wait,
what's the name of this referral?"
"Her name is Lisa, apparently she has cancer. We just can't find where
she lives."
I remembered the area where we talked to her, and so we headed that
direction. Sure enough, as we approached I saw Lisa off in the
distance walking over to her neighbor's house. I called her and she
recognized me! In short, she had read the pamphlet we left last time,
and we were able to teach her the first lesson and get her corrected
apartment number. Truly, this is the Lord's work!
Some of you might remember our golden investigator Eddie, who moved
away unannounced a few weeks ago, and left us with no way to contact
him. We were devastated. He was two weeks away from baptism.
Well as we got back together at the end of one of our exchanges, Elder
Perez hopped out of the car and sprinted over shouting, "EDDIE IS
BACK!!! EDDIE IS BACK!!!" Man, I don't know if I have ever been so
happy as I was when I heard that!
Eddie had moved to Fresno, and had tried to contact us, but couldn't
find out how. His work situation ended up not working out, so he came
back down. We are helping him go to the YSA, and he is on date to be
baptized on June 25, two days before I go home!!! Man, I'm just so
happy for Eddie. I love being a missionary. God is a God of miracles.
Our other investigators are also doing so well, and Carlos still
really wants to be baptized. Please keep him in your prayers so that
his wife's heart will be softened and he can be baptized. We are
expecting more miracles over the next two weeks!
This week is Zone Conferences, and we get to give a training on the
role of the Holy Ghost in conversion. I'm really excited because it is
a topic I am very passionate about. The Spirit is everything in this
work! Keep us in your prayers! Thanks so much for reading, I love you
all!
Elder Francis

A3 missionaries and the Storlands! It was their last Sunday in
church before they move 😫

Elder McMurray and I on exchanges

¡Más chiles!

We have had a great week this week! I was able to go on an exchange in
the Spanish program with an Elder Baer and an Elder Schoen. I tagged
along with them for the day and got to learn from their examples and
follow up on trainings given. I also got to work on my Spanish! I
would introduce myself and let whoever we were teaching know that I
didn't speak much Spanish, and I got told like 20 times to eat more
chiles (they apparently make you better at learning Spanish haha).
Elders Baer and Schoen didn't have anyone on date for baptism in their
area, so we talked about how we could help change that. Towards the
end of the night, we had a lesson with a former investigator named Eva
Joaquin and her three sons, and partway through the lesson, I got the
impression that we needed to invite them to be baptized! She had been
invited in the past, but didn't feel that she was ready. I leaned to
Elder Schoen and suggested that we ("we" meaning him because I don't
speak Spanish haha) invite the family to be baptized again. He was
apprehensive, but consented. They extended the invitation, and all I
could do was just pray that the Spirit would work on Eva and her sons!
Eva paused for a moment, looked at the ground, looked back up at us,
and said (in Spanish) "... Yes... We want to be baptized." Eva and her
two sons over 8 are on date to be baptized in July! That was a huge
tender mercy from this week.
Our other investigators are also doing really well! Please continue to
keep Carlos and his wife Nancy in your prayers so that her heart can
be softened and can let Carlos be baptized.
Last week we also had Mission Leadership Council. It was my last one,
which was sad. We got to give a training on exchanges and how to make
them effective. There were great comments made from the amazing Elders
and Sisters in that group. I love being able to interact with such
incredible missionaries.
We'll have the opportunity to put the principles they shared to
practice this week, as we get to go on three exchanges! I'm looking
forward to it! I love you everyone, and hope you all have a wonderful
week!

-Elder Francis
1) My first MLC (18 months ago)
2) My last MLC

Elotada

Hey everyone! Another great week in the service of the Lord. The
reason this is coming out so late is because we got to attend two
Memorial Day activities! The first was an awesome picnic with our
ward, and the next was the Elotada! Elotada basically means corn
festival, and the Spanish stake holds it every year. However, it is
outside of the English mission boundaries, so we were the only ones in
the English program who got to attend. Booyah!
This week was an AMAZING one with our investigators! We have another
two investigators who are also progressing well! They are the
neighbors of a family in the ward, and we are teaching them in the
members home. Brianna, a little 8 year old, and her mother Blanca have
both accepted a baptismal date. Brianna comes to church every week,
but Blanca hasn't been able to make it yet. She has been very
skeptical about the church, but last week we had a powerful lesson
with her where we read from the Book of Mormon and spent a lot of time
addressing her concerns. The Spirit was so strong!! Since then, she
has been so much more committed! Today she came up to us at the Ward
picnic and talked about how she has been reading on her own, and is
coming to love the Book of Mormon. She has been praying to know if
it's true and has felt like she has received answers!! The Spirit is
everything in this work!! Man, I wish I could express how much I love
these people and how incredible it is to watch the Lord work miracles
before my eyes.
No updates on Carlos, except that he is still the man, but please
continue to keep him and his wife in your prayers so that his wife's
heart may be softened and he can be baptized.
I was able to go on three exchanges this week with three amazing
Elders! I learned that an appointment where the person is not home is
much more devastating when it is 90+ degrees outside and you are on
bike. But the work rolls on!
On one of my exchanges, we were in a young single adult ward looking
for a young adult member in the wealthiest place in the mission (one
of the wealthiest in the nation, seriously, these houses were in the
hills of Anaheim and were huge). The young adult wasn't home, and as
we were walking back to the car, we received an impression to knock on
a specific door. I thought to myself, "Look where we are, Spirit! How
could there possibly be a young single adult behind that solid walnut
15ft door?!" But because we are obedient, we knocked anyway. Sure
enough, a young adult girl opens up and greets us with a smile. We
talked about the Restoration of the gospel, gave her a Book of Mormon,
and she invited us to come back. This truly is the Lord's work!
I hope you all have a fantastic week everyone! Thanks for your love
and support! I love you!
-Elder Francis

¡¡La elotada!!

"And the Lord said: Go to work"

Hello everybody! This has been just an incredible week here in
Anaheim! We had the opportunity to find and teach a lot of people, and
were able to continue working with the amazing people that we already
have. We taught a woman this week from Egypt, Emily, who was taken
advantage of financially when she came to America, and is now
struggling to support herself and her family back in Egypt. She has so
much faith! She came to church yesterday and has been reading from the
Book of Mormon!
Our investigator Carlos is doing so well and wants to be baptized, but
his wife refuses to give him permission to do so. He can't be baptized
without her consent. Please pray for Carlos and his wife, and that her
heart will be softened so that he can be baptized.
This last week I had a meeting with all of the other missionaries that
are departing at the end of this transfer. We received some training
from the mission president and some counsel for how we can prepare to
return home and to continue our discipleship after the mission. It was
good and all, but I found that after spending several hours talking
about what home would be like, thoughts about home continued to linger
with me throughout the day. In my nightly prayers, I voiced to the
Lord my concerns. I finished my prayer and remembered that I hadn't
yet read from the Book of Mormon that day, so I opened up my
scriptures and began reading where I had left off in Ether chapter 2.
I began on verse 16, and the very first words that I read were, "And
the Lord said: Go to work..." immediately after reading that I
received a prompting from the Spirit saying something like, "In case
you missed it, THAT is the answer to your prayer!"
The Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is the most powerful
tool in conversion! I received a witness AGAIN that the Book of Mormon
is the word of God, and that my Father in Heaven is ever mindful of
me. I feel strongly that the Lord was telling me as I go to work and
lose myself in His service, I will find myself. I will be fully
prepared to continue my discipleship after my mission and continue to
be of service to Him as I work as hard as I can now. In the words of
President Benson, “I have often said one of the greatest secrets of
missionary work is work! If a missionary works... he will be happy.
There will be no homesickness, no worrying about families, for all
time and talents and interests are centered on the work of the
ministry. Work, work, work--there is no satisfactory substitute,
especially in missionary work.”
And there you have it! That's my plan! Thanks so much for all of your
love and support everyone, have a beautiful week! I love you!

-Elder Francis
1) Just enough seats for all of us!

To know of love, pure and divine

What an incredible week it has been! This last week was the final one
of the transfer. Today marks the beginning of the last transfer of my
mission, and I will be staying in the Anaheim 3rd ward! This will make
6 transfers (roughly 8-9 months) in this area and assignment. I'm so
blessed to be able to finish my mission here! I love it so much!
Not only will I be staying with Elder Perez, but we are adding a
missionary to the companionship, Elder Salyer! We will be in a trio!
He and I have served near each other in the past, and he has always
been a fantastic missionary. I'm so excited to be one of his
companions.
Our investigator that I talked about last week, Eddy, is progressing
sooo well! He came to church again and we actually moved his baptismal
date FORWARD to June 3!
On the other hand, our investigator Carlos is facing some serious
opposition from his wife. She threatened him with divorce if he were
to get baptized... "I don't think she really means it though," said
Carlos, "I still want to be baptized. Look at Nephi! His brothers
wanted to kill him, but the Lord provided a way for him to be
obedient, and I know that He will for me too."
Carlos is man of great faith. But we are not to baptize someone
without the consent of their spouse, so Carlos will need the agreement
of his wife if he is to be baptized. Everyone please keep Carlos and
his wife in your prayers, so that he can be baptized and his family
can receive all of the blessings that come from having a priesthood
holder in the home.
Yesterday I got to talk with my amazing family!! It was so wonderful
to hear from them and to hear their testimonies. I'm so grateful for
my incredible family. I am especially grateful for my beautiful
mother, who has supported me throughout my life and my mission.  Her
faith and love for the Lord have changed my life, and it is because of
her and my father that I am the missionary I am.
I find it truly beautiful,
To know of love, pure and divine.
It rests on one, out of the soul
Of an angel mother such as mine.
Thanks for reading everyone, and thanks for all of your love and
support. Have a great week!
-Elder Francis

1) the Korean district!
2) Garden Grove Zone!!
3) Transfer calls with Elder Perez
4) Happy Mother's Day
5) Welcome Elder Salyer

The righteous don't need rest and the wicked don't deserve it!

What an awesome week we've had! Soooooo busy though! We had Zone
Conferences throughout the mission on Tuesday - Thursday. Friday we
had a training for the missionaries who are halfway through training.
Saturday we had a tour of the Newport Beach Temple grounds that we
spoke at, and yesterday we had a meeting with the mission presidency!
"The righteous don't need rest and the wicked don't deserve it!" Haha
I'm not at the point where I don't need rest, so we do our best to
keep up amidst the meetings and assignments and responsibilities.
Despite being insaaaanely busy, I am just loving life!! Being able to
hear the comments and testimonies of all the missionaries throughout
the mission is such a blessing, and so is being able to work with
President and Sister Taggart, a couple who are completely devoted to
following the Savior. The mission motto is "covenant keepers joyfully
bringing souls to Christ", and I would like to put an emphasis on the
word "joyfully". There is no work that brings greater joy than the
Lord's! I love serving a Him and I love being a missionary, it fills
me with the sweetest joy I have ever known!
Even with our demanding schedule, we've been blessed enough this week
to have some time to proselyte every day. We found a new investigator
named Eddy this week! After inviting us in and receiving the message
of the Restoration, he committed to read and pray about the Book of
Mormon. When we went back a couple days later, he had done it! But he
didn't feel like he had received an answer. We opened up to Moroni
10:3-5 and read together about how we receive answers to our prayers.
While discussing real intent, Elder Perez asked, "If you receive an
answer that the Book of Mormon is true, what will you do?" Eddy
enthusiastically responded, "I will repent and be baptized!" Whaaaaa?!
After recovering from being blown away by that answer, we had Eddy
read verse 5: "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the
truth of all things." As he read, the Spirit filled the room. We could
feel it, and we knew that he could feel it. We asked him how he felt,
and he responded, "I feel so good right now. This is amazing." We
helped him to see for himself where those feelings came from, that is,
God. Eddy is on date for baptism for June 17! Eddy also came to church
on Sunday.
We went to the temple grounds tour with the Lozano family, who are
returning to activity. They are preparing now to go to the temple
themselves. Hopefully they will be able to within the next month.
There was a wonderful Spirit on the temple grounds, and I just didn't
want to leave.
Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you all have a wonderful week! I
love you all!

-Elder Francis

Zone conferences with the Taggarts

Temple tour with the Lozanos

He who reads it oftenest will like it best!

We have had a fantastic week here in sunny California!
We got to do a fun service this week called Love Anaheim where we got
to serve around the community. We got shirts that say "I love
Anaheim", and are a prized gem among the missionaries because you can
only get them once a year at this service. Score.
On Tuesday we had our Mission Leadership Council, and Elder Perez and
I got to give a training on using the scriptures in our teaching. That
was an easy training for me to give, because I love the scriptures so
much. The scriptures have become a constant and powerful source of
strength, motivation, direction, and guidance for me as I've gone
throughout my mission. I don't want to go a day in my life without
studying the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. In his last
conference talk, President Monson said, "I implore each of us to
prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day." I took that
as a personal invitation I intend to accept for the rest of my life!
Daily scripture study is essential to continuing conversion to the
gospel. The Savior Himself said, "It is written, man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
God."
I have seen hearts softened and lives changed by the word of God, the
most forefront and prevalent being my own. I love the scriptures so
much. True was Elder Richard G Scott when he said, "A memorized
scripture becomes an enduring friend that is not weakened with the
passage of time." The scriptures have become some of my most trusted
and reliable friends. I can turn to them at any time and in any place
and can find solace, peace, and counsel. If you are not already
studying from the scriptures every day, I personally invite you to do
so. I promise that you will come to love them and treasure them, and
that the time you spend in the scriptures each day will become a time
that is precious and sacred to you. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "He
who reads it oftenest will like it best." Its true! Have a great week
everyone! I love you all!

-Elder Francis

We ❤️ Anaheim

MLC

Cody Hackman

And all these things shall be added unto you

Hello everyone! We've had such a fantastic week here in Anaheim! We
got to go on two exchanges and I got to go with some of my good
friends Elder Beddes and Elder Porter. One of my favorite things about
this assignment is being able to serve around such incredible
missionaries who love the Lord and know how to serve Him. We talked
with everyone we saw, and I saw a pretty awesome blessing as a result:
We saw a woman at her car and approached her. She tried to ignore us
and wasn't giving us much to work with. I Began asking about her
family, but she interrupted me, "What is your shoe size?" Honestly, I
wasn't expecting that. Confused, and a little stunned, I hesitantly
responded, "uhhh 10&1/2". "Perfect," she said, "Elder Francis, these
are for you." She proceeded to pull a brand new box of Adidas out of
her car and place them in my hands. I was kind of in shock, and tried
to refuse.  She was very persistent, and eventually I complied. I
mean, they were exactly size 10&1/2!
As it turns out, she wasn't interested in the gospel in the slightest,
but the scriptures were fulfilled which say, "Therefore take no
thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all
these things shall be added unto you."
Last night we found a young couple, Eric and Jasmine, who just moved
from New York, are about to have their first baby, and want to find a
new church. They received the Restoration with such humility and
sincerity, and the Spirit was powerful. They were so so grateful that
we came by, and are eager to learn more! The Lord has led us to some
truly prepared individuals that we are working with right now, and we
have several that will hopefully be baptized in the next month.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thanks for reading everyone, I love you!
-Elder Francis

1) my new shoes
2) hike with the Santa Ana South Zone this morning

And He shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God

Happy Easter everybody! We had a fantastic Easter holiday sharing the
good news that Christ overcame sin and death and rose on the third
day. A special spirit attended our work this week and we saw many
miracles.
We had some awesome experiences this week with the investigators we
are working with. Our two most progressing investigators came to
church yesterday, and they both loved it. One of those is Michelle.
Michelle and her father have been living in motels for the past few
years. Her father has muscular dystrophy and is unable to walk, but
they both want to be baptized. This last week they were unable to pay
their rent and were homeless for a few days.
Eventually they were able to find a place to stay and we visited them.
They were sunburned and aching, and Michelle's dad had gotten sick
from being outside for so long. We read Mosiah chapter 3 with them. We
got to verses 7 and 8, and Michelle read, "And lo, he shall suffer
temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more
than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh
from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and
the abominations of his people.
And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of
heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and
his mother shall be called Mary."
 She finished that verse and began to cry. There was a reverence in
the room as the Spirit witnessed to each of us the pain and anguish
that Christ suffered in our behalf, pain and anguish that was fresh in
the mind of Michelle and her father. She bore a powerful testimony
that Christ suffered for her, and how badly she wanted to follow His
example by being baptized. In the closing prayer she plead with the
Lord and asked for the strength to be obedient. That was humbling for
me. When was the last time I prayed with such sincerity and fervor to
be able to be obedient to God's commandments? Michelle came to church
on Sunday as an expression and evidence of her desires, and I know
that as long as she is willing, the Lord will prepare a way for her
and her father to be baptized next month.
I know that God loves His children so much. I feel a portion of that
love and  it fills me with faith and with hope that each one of God's
children can return to Him. I have a hard time expressing how much I
love being a missionary, but I truly do. My mission has changed my
life forever! Jesus Christ lives. He rose on the third day with
healing in His wings and the power to bring all of us back to Him.
Have a wonderful week everyone!
-Elder Francis


1) We went on a hike last week!
2-3) Anaheim 3 ward missionaries at the ward Easter picnic

#PRINCEofPEACE <---Check it out!

What a fantastic week it has been! Elder Perez and I have been working
hard and have seen the fruits of our labors.
Tuesday morning we dropped off the departing missionaries at the
airport, including my last companion, Elder Wilson. It was
bittersweet. The only thing that made it better was the fact that we
got to walk down a flight of stairs and pick up 7 new missionaries! We
spent the rest of the afternoon with them, got to hear their
testimonies and feel of their spirit, and that picked us right back up
and we've been up ever since!
On Wednesday night we were visiting someone with a member of a
bishopric and met a man while on the way. He seemed interested and
said we could call him. On the way back, we saw him again and he asked
to if he could come to church! We told him we could meet before the
service and have a lesson, and he accepted. A member brought him this
morning, and we taught him the Restoration. It was the kind of lesson
that missionaries dream of. We sat in the church with him and the ward
mission leader and began our lesson, and the Spirit started working on
him. He began asking questions like, "Why are there so many different
sects?", and, "The scriptures teach to beware of false prophets, how
can we tell a false prophet from a true one?" We could hardly keep up!
By the time we got to the Restoration of the Gospel through Joseph
Smith, the Spirit was powerful. One of us said the word baptism, and
he stopped us and said, "What does one need to do to be baptized?"
Long story short, Josh is on date for May 20. He stayed for sacrament
meeting and loved it. He has already read the reading assignment we
gave him and is eager to meet again. What a miraculous experience.
I love Elder Perez! He has such a cheerful countenance and attitude
that brings a great spirit to our work. We are striving to talk with
everyone and have had some very tender experiences sharing the Prince
of Peace video to people whom the Lord has led us to. We shared it
with several people this week who have lost loved ones recently, one
woman lost her husband last Sunday. I know that the greatest peace in
this life can only come through Jesus Christ. As we celebrate Easter
this week, I invite you all to ponder how you might receive greater
peace by following Jesus Christ. I love you all!
-Elder Francis

1-3) dropping off departing missionaries
4) you know your area is ghetto when...

Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along

What an incredible week!! We finished off the transfer with MLC, Zone
Trainings, the Prince of Peace initiative, and General Conference, or
in other words, I just felt the Spirit all week long! Transfers are
also today, and my new companion is Elder Perez Perez, a fantastic
missionary from the Spanish program who comes from Venezuela. He will
be an incredible assistant and I am so excited to work with him. He
was trained by my last companion Elder Wilson, who finishes his
mission tomorrow morning. We get to take him to the airport together!
Where do I begin?? General Conference was so amazing! I could talk for
days about insights I received and notes I took, but today I only want
to say that I know that Thomas S Monson is a prophet of God, and that
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's kingdom on
the Earth.
We had two investigators watch General Conference, and they both loved
it. After doing all that we could do to help them attend, conference
began and neither of them showed up, and we were disappointed. I
thought to myself, "What more can we do to help them come? What more
could we have done?" These are common thoughts of a missionary haha.
At that moment, however, a scripture came to mind, "let us cheerfully
do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with
the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to
be revealed." I received a witness of the Spirit that we had done all
that was in our power, so with a prayer I placed our investigators in
the hands of the Lord and felt great peace. In the hands of the Lord
is the best place for our investigators to be. By a miracle, both of
our investigators were able to attend conference! The arm of God was
indeed revealed this weekend, not only in the talks given at
conference, but in those who attended.
This upcoming transfer will be crazy and busy, and I am nervous about
training a new assistant and taking over the area again, but I know
that if Elder Perez and I can qualify for the Spirit, we can do
whatever the Lord needs us to do. I have faith in the scripture in D&C
78:18, "And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good
cheer, for I will lead you along." I truly know that the Lord will
lead us along. Have a great week everyone!

-Elder Francis
1)MLC
2-3)Santa Ana Central Zone Training
4)Saying goodbyes
5) Elder Perez Perez

The Gospel makes us happy

We got to spend some time in our area this week and it paid off! We were led to several new investigators and had some awesome experiences. One of which I'll share:

We were walking through an apartment complex and started talking with this guy who was at his car. He was open and friendly, and asked us a question like, "So what is this all about?" We shared a brief summary of the restoration and that through it we can be with our families forever. "Now that is something I'm interested in!" He responded. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he was so excited to read it! As he walked away with book in hand, he turned back and said, "I don't know why, but I'm just so happy right now! Thanks Elders!"

In plain and simple terms, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ just makes us happy! When we went back to follow up, he had read from the book and is excited to learn more. Through the gospel we can be truly happy, no matter our circumstances. 

This week is going to be extremely busy, we have MLC tomorrow, transfers to get ready for, GENERAL CONFERENCE, and Elder Wilson finishes his mission next week. We are sprinting to the finish! We are so excited though for General Conference and have been extending the invitation to everyone to come listen to a prophet's voice. I extend that same invitation to you! If you listen with the Spirit, you will receive a personal, prophetic epistle just for you. I love you all, have an incredible week!

-Elder Francis

Throwback to the MTC because we didn't take any pictures this week!

The parable of the empty well

Hey everybody! This week was ZONE CONFERENCES!! We got to give
training to all of the missionaries throughout the mission for three
days. It was exhausting, but was so wonderful. I love being able to
hear the testimonies and insights from all of the incredible
missionaries. There is such a powerful spirit when the Lord's servants
gather together.
 We gave our training on how to study and prepare to teach the
lessons. We used the analogy of READY (study and apply the doctrine),
AIM (organize what you teach into a lesson plan), FIRE (teach the
lesson), and ADJUST YOUR SIGHTS (evaluate your teaching). And I used
some hunting experiences from my youth (shoutout to my dad!)
To explain the importance of our studies, we shared a parable and
asked, "How does this relate to our studies of the gospel? Here is the
parable:
There was a man, who after a long, dry winter went to a well to draw
water for his garden. He lowered his bucket into the well and pulled
it up to find no water in it. The well had gone dry. Not knowing what
to do he knelt to ask his Father in Heaven to grant him water for his
garden. The impression came to him, "dig", so the man lowered himself
down into the dry well and began to dig. As he did so, he noticed the
dry ground was slowly replaced with wet soil, then mud. He continued
to dig until he was knee deep in water. He had tapped into the
underground reservoir which filled his well with pure water. He
returned to the top and thanked his Father in Heaven. He was able to
draw water from the well to nourish him and his garden for many days,
all the while praising God.
We each have been given our own little garden from the Lord! I invite
each of you to ponder how this parable can apply to your life and your
study of the gospel!
Also as part of Zone Conferences, the new Easter initiative was
announced! #PrinceofPeace!! The video is probably my favorite that the
church has ever made, and it the whole initiative uses my favorite
picture of the Savior. I'm so excited to share it with people. The
initiative begins and is open to the public on March 31st.
We have an awesome week planned where we will get to spend a lot of
time in our area, I can't wait! Have a fantastic week everyone!

-Elder Francis

This is the ACTUAL last door

We had an awesome awesome week last week here in sunny California! We put an investigator named Carlos on date this week! We invited him to be baptized and he said, "Yes, I will do it. But before I am baptized I need to learn and I need to change." What a humble response!! Learning and change for the better is exactly what the gospel brings!

I got to go on two exchanges this week, first with Elder Cabrera who is from Mexico, and then with Elder Salyer from Virginia. They were both great. Elder Salyer and I had a cool experience at the end of the night:

Because there are sooooo many people in Southern California, there are A TON of apartment complexes, and they are a common place to find people to teach. The apartment complex we were trying to visit someone in was very well locked up, so we couldn't get in. We decided to try the one next to it, which was totally open! We stood in the middle of the complex and looked around, trying to seek the spirit to decide which doors to knock with our last few minutes.

 After a couple seconds, the impression came, "stop wasting time and just start knocking."  So we did! And after a few doors, we met some people from several different races and religions, but no one with any interest in the gospel. It was time to head back, but we felt like there was still something in that complex that we hadn't gotten to yet. We decided on the last door. Knock knock knock......waiting..... aaaaaand no answer. Bummer! We started heading back, but there was the gentlest impression that there was something else. "Alright this is the actual last door." Knock knock knock. A young woman opened up! Immediately I felt impressed to testify of the importance and eternal nature of the family. We told her that the world was turning further and further away from the family, but our message strengthens and protects families from the evils of the world. 

"Wow!" She said, "I just had my first child a few weeks ago. I've been wanting to bring him to a church. Can we come to yours?" Uhh yeah you can!! We have a return appointment with Desiree and her family for this week! 

I'm so grateful for the Spirit, and for the incredible message that we do have. The Spirit is everything in this work. When we can be worthy vessels of the Spirit, so that He might work through us, we will see miracles. Like we did with Desiree.

I love you everyone! Have a great week!

-Elder Francis

We got to go to a temple grounds tour this week! Polaroid and iPhone versions!

Peter, John, and William

Well it's only been three days since my last Pday, but it's been an
awesome three days!
Friday night we had one of those lessons that every missionary dreams
of. We met a young former investigator named Debbie and she said we
could come back, so we did, and taught the Restoration to her, her
parents, and her two sisters! It was a powerful lesson and they all
showed a desire to be baptized! Because Debbie's parents are primarily
Spanish speaking, we had a hybrid lesson where we taught in English
and Spanish. I accidentally called Christ's apostles Pedro (Peter),
Juan (John), and Guillermo (William) instead of Santiago (James).
Whoops! They got confused, but accepted it nonetheless, figuring they
just didn't know that apostle.
We decided to pass them over to the Spanish program, where we feel
they will progress better, but it was such an awesome lesson.
This weekend we had Stake Conference! Elder Bruce E Ghent of the
Seventy attended and we got to hear him speak twice! One quote from
him that I loved was this: "If your faith, prayers, and the power of
the priesthood do not remove your afflictions, the power of the
Atonement will certainly give you the strength to endure them." There
are some trials in life we just have to bear. We may at times, like
the Savior, cry out, "remove this cup from me", but if the will and
plan of the Lord is otherwise, may we humbly submit to the will of the
Father, exemplified perfectly by Jesus Christ in the words,
"nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." As we do, the Savior
will be there with us to bear our burdens and to share our load, and
we will come off conquerors. Have a wonderful week everybody! I love
you!
-Elder Francis

2) shoutout to Sister Hawkins for providing our Marti Gras celebrations/dinner!
3) bird is the word
1) we hiked Blackstar Canyon today!

For without Him we can do nothing

Hello everyone, the past couple weeks have been super busy, and super good! A lot happened, most of which I'll just touch on.
We started a new transfer, which means we got to pick up new missionaries! We spent the day with 14 brand new missionaries. Elder Wilson and I say that is the best day of the transfer, because there is such a powerful spirit with all of the missionaries who just arrive to the field! They are so eager to work and full of faith, it's beautiful.
Along with all of the meetings that come at the beginning of each transfer, we also had Mission Leadership Council on Tuesday. Elder Wilson and I gave a training on the power and authority of our calling as missionaries. There were some incredible insights from the amazing Zone and Sister Training Leaders throughout the mission. They are also a powerful group of individuals that is continually sacrificing more to seek more power to do the Lord's will. I'm so grateful to be around them, and President and Sister Taggart. The most prominent comment came from John 15: "4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."

As members of the church of Jesus Christ on the earth, we are "grafted into the true vine". Inasmuch as we make that graft complete through obedience to our covenants, we are nourished and strengthened by Christ Himself. When we cut ourselves off from that power through sins like laziness, disobedience, apathy, and pride, we wither away and bring forth no fruit. 

The highlight of my week was the opportunity we had this morning to attend the temple. What an incredible blessing. I know that God lives and that He is ever mindful of His children. I know that He provided a Savior to redeem mankind. I am so grateful to have the knowledge of the gospel, and I have dedicated my life to sharing it.

I love you all!
-Elder Francis

1) MLC prep..

2) MLC!

3-5) Temple Trip!

You're in this for the long haul

Good morning everyone! We had a fantastic week last week and were able to go on three exchanges to finish off the transfer! We had some awesome finding experiences as well, two of which I will share below.

1) Elder Wilson and I approached this couple sitting on the sidewalk and started a conversation about the gospel (like we always do). The husband said, "I have a question that I've asked to a lot of different churches and I want to ask you. My question is this: What happened to the prophets and apostles in Christ's church?" ..... uhhhhh WELL LET US TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PROPHETS AND APOSTLES IN CHRIST'S CHURCH!!!  While trying to restrain ourselves, we excitedly explained the message of the Restoration, and they were both super interested! They said they need to learn more and accepted the Book of Mormon gladly! They live in Compton, so we won't be able to teach them, but we basically just found the Compton missionaries two baptisms.

2) I was on an exchange in La Habra with my good friend Elder Mills, and we met this woman while knocking doors. She wasn't interested at first because we were "Mormon". We explained that Mormon is just a nickname and that we were from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. "Oh!" She said, "You're LDS?! I have cousins who are LDS! They are great!" We told her that through the restoration of the gospel we can be with our families forever. "Oh my goodness," she responded, "THIS is the missing piece of my life! I've been praying for weeks to know what God wants me to do, and this is my answer!! We need to meet again! You need to teach me!" We definitely weren't expecting that response, but I'm not complaining!

This week we also finalized transfers with the Taggarts, and transfers are today! Elder Wilson only has 6 more weeks in his mission, so I could've either been released today so that he could train a new assistant before he goes home, or I could stay and then train another assistant after he goes home. While we were planning, Sister Taggart looks at me and says, "Elder Francis, you're in this for the long haul!" And that was that, I'm staying here in Anaheim! We have an insane transfer lying ahead of us, and I know that the Lord will bless us as we put our trust in Him.

Yesterday I gave a talk in church and just want to close with a quote I used from Elder Holland, "In whatever country you live, however young or inadequate you feel, or however aged or limited you see yourself as being, I testify you are individually loved of God, you are central to the meaning of His work, and you are cherished and prayed for by the presiding officers of His Church. The personal value, the sacred splendor of every one of you, is the very reason there is a plan for salvation and exaltation."

I know that the gospel is true, and that you are the reason for the Plan of Salvation! I love you!

-Elder Francis

1) Someone sprayed a fire extinguisher in the parking garage... so I had to run through it.

2) The view of the sunrise from our apartment. I love our apartment

3) Christ in the CAM