A Little Slow But Awesome

Alright, this week was a little slow, but awesome!

    

Tuesday, we were able to get in with a less active family and share a message.  We were hoping that the whole family would be there but we decided to just show up instead of calling so no one could cancel!  We ended up teaching a father and his two sons Steven and Eric, a principle from the restoration lesson.  The younger son Eric was more interested than the older and when it came time to leave, Steven ended up saying the closing prayer because neither the dad nor Eric would say it.  This was seriously a miracle because when we got there, he was very into his video games and did not want anything to do with us.  He had a couple questions about why there are so many churches and stuff and I was like, "JOSEPH SMITH!!!"  Hahaha....I talked about him and explained that he was in the same boat and then I quoted James 1:5 and the first vision and he didn't even argue with me at all.  I was nervous to do this because whenever Elder Thomas said something, Steven would argue with him.  I was nervous for him to ask something I didn't know the answer to!  But I listened to the spirit and Steven felt it for sure. He didn't argue at all, he just nodded his head yes!!  So sweet! 

    

Wednesday we had zone conference and that was seriously sooo good.  The main point was to please God and not our fellow men.  That is something that is hard to do! I definitely need to not worry as much about what other people think of me.  If I am doing God's will, Im good. I don't even know who all reads this, but if anyone is having a hard time with trying to please God and not their friends or whatever, just know that it pleases our Father in Heaven sooo much when we stand up for what is right, even in the midst of opposition. Stand up for what is right even if you feel that you are alone.  I promise you that if you feel alone, it's just a temporary thing. But really, you are never alone. I know that I for sure have felt so alone at times but I have come to realize that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were cheering me on the whole time!  They were always there, even if I didn't notice it. 

 

Okay, so I gotta share something real quick about zone conference.  President always has us ALL prepare a talk before we go because at the end, he just picks like 5 or so missionaries to give a talk.  No one know until you are called up.... I had a feeling that I was gonna be called, then that thought went away.  Then Elder Thomas (he was conducting), was like we will first hear a talk from Elder DeLuca and so on and so forth, and my heart dropped into my stomach!!!!  I don't know why I was so nervous!!  I wasn't sweating though so that's good. So I went up and laid it down.  I talked abut the strengthening and enabling power of the Atonement.  Page 2 of Preach My Gospel says it perfectly in one sentence. "As your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase." Think about that.  It's sooo true! That is President Pingree's favorite sentence out of the whole book!  So I talked about that and it all went alright! 

     

So Wednesday night was a miracle.  Because of time I'm gonna be real brief.  We met those three guys at Market Street, remember? Ben, Jay, and Curtis.  Fast forward to now, and we met them this past Wednesday. They were meeting their youth group from their church at a Starbucks so we met them there.  It wasn't our first choice, but we were just outside.  So we went over the restoration again with Ben and this other guy, then Jay and Curtis came over with a bunch of youth and they all started listening to us.  Almost all of the teens were like "Can I have a Book of Mormon?" I was like, "YESSSSSSSSSSS.....our trunk is full of them!!"  I asked Ben if that was ok first cause I almost felt kinda bad!  All of these kids were wanting to learn more about our church while meeting for their church. Ya know what I mean?  I was so happy of course, but I felt kinda bad in respect to Ben, Jay, and Curtis.  They all have Book of Mormons too though so they were like "Of course we don't mind!"  They are really great guys.  So that was really sweet.  Please pray for all of them that they might read, ponder, and ask God if the book is true!  That would be greatly appreciated. 

     

So those are the highlights, but I type soooo slow so its time to go.  I am sorry.  Typing is defs one of my many weaknesses.  I love you all soo much and I hope you have a wonderful week! 

Love and prayers, 

Elder DeLuca

​I thought this sunset was pretty!  #texassunset for all you insta lovers hahahaha!

This was at zone conference!  Sorry it was blurry. (That's what happens elders take pics.....not Elder Thomas though!) 

​Brother Harris' kids.  Too cute!  I wanna hold him so bad!!!

Okay besides me bein' goofy, I wanted to publicly tell all of you that I am so sick of being fat.  I will admit, I have gained quite a bit of weight, muscle too.  (;  But I seriously have gotten fat and I am sick of it.  I am going to get in good shape you guys, and me telling all of you will help me.  I go freakin' hard in the gym.  We don't get a ton of time so I have no choice but to give it my all.  This was just a cardio day today.  I am eating wayy healthier too.  That is honestly like %60 of it.  You gotta eat good to look good!  Yes, I am one of those stinky Elders in this pic. Don't worry, I showered right after!! 

Storms, Tow Truck, Ironman & Stake Conference

Alrighty, well this week was kinda slow but we still had a great week!  So, Monday we were walking around our

apartment complex cause we had like 15 minutes to wait for an exchange and that wasn't enough time to go anywhere so we figured we would walk around here for a bit.  So we see this lady walking her dog and we had asked her if any of the other missionaries have talked to her before and she said NO!  So we invited her to learn more and she was like, "Yea, I am open to hearing a message!" We went through the restoration really quick and then scheduled an appointment the next day.  So, Tuesday Elder Weaver and I ended up teaching her cause Elder Thomas was with Elder Weaver's companion.  The lesson went pretty well she was just kinda struggling with why she needs to do more if Christ has already suffered for everything.  We shared so many scriptures and tried explaining why but she kinda agreed to disagree it seemed like. Any other suggestions?  Hit me up if you think of anything.  We are meeting with her again this week! 

     

Wednesday was PCI and we didnt even get to see any of the kids cause all of the lessons were canceled because of a bad rainstorm.  We were just there to clean up the place.  We got a lot of rain and it was pretty messed up there.  So check this out, a guy got the tractor stuck in the mudd and there was a bunch of guys and Elders over there putting chains on it to try to tow it out with a truck.  It was a Ford F-150 if you are wondering.  ( :  I was like there is no way this is gonna work!  Haha sure enough it didn't!!  It should have been a Raptor!!  Well, we tried putting wood under the tires and still no luck so I was like, "Wait a second, put the bucket down and it'll lift itself out!"  Chuck was like, "That's a good idea!"  So he did and then we were able to get it out!  I don't know why I wanted to share that but I did! 

     

Saturday we helped out with the Ironman!  Wow those people are so impressive!  We basically stood on the corner for like 4 in a half ours just cheering them on!  People were getting sooo tired at the end.  I think I would die if I attempted to try to do one of those! 

     

Sunday was stake conference and that was really sweet.  Because of time I will just share one part.  Our mission President spoke and one thing that really hit home for me was, "If there is contention in ANY companionship, if both will repent and become more like Christ, unity will prevail."  I love that!  Think about that.  That is not just for missionaries.  That is for any companionship. 

     

Well, I gotta get goin but I will talk to you all soon!  I love you guys!  The church is true!!!!

Love, 

Elder DeLuca

​Pretty sweet Caddy we saw this week! 

​Elder Thomas and I at the Prow's home!

Transfers, Cleaning & Laura's Baptism

Our apartment is soooo clean!!!!  We seriously were cleaning from like 10:30 to 3.  Yea, and its 626 square feet.  Ha!!!  Just think of how clean that is!! 

My new companion is Elder Thomas and he is from Washington!!  We are so different but we are with each other for a reason and I know that! We get along great. We are really open with each other too and that is so important. If something bugs one of us, we are like "yo that bugs me" straight up!  Well I do. He would word that a little different! He is great and we are learning so much from each other!

     

So this week was pretty sick.  Honestly, I know Ive said that I have no time so I apologize for the short email and then they end up kinda lengthy, but today its gonna happen! 

     

Transfers were on Tuesday and then Elder Thomas and I met with Courtney and Robert. We  also taught Andralia with the sisters in a member's home on Thursday.  Friday was district meeting and then Saturday, Elder Christensen came back to the area and baptized Laura in a member's pool!!!  So I confirmed her on Sunday and I was SOOOO nervous.  It went well but I was sweating.....bad!!!   Hahaha.  You think Im kidding but I'm not! 

     

So that is pretty much the week. I love you all so much and I thank you all for the love and support. Oh, and Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mommies that I didnt get a chance to talk to!!

Love,

Elder DeLuca

This is Laura!

​There is my companion and Sister Huber. She came back for the baptism!

I will have one of these in my home some day. Not for my children, for me!!! I don't know why but I love giraffes so much. They are so sweet!! Just look at that creature!

He would't run with me on his back though!!

Agency, Miracles & Morgan

     

So, this week was sickkkk!

I am not being transferred but Elder Christensen is.  I will let you know about my new companion next week! 

     

So, I literally have to leave so soon cause my comp has to pack and we have people to go visit.  So this is gonna be real brief. 

     

Friday, we had a really good zone meeting and we talked a lot about agency.  It really is a blessing to be able to choose for ourselves what we want to do in this life.  At the same time, we are accountable for the decisions we make. Make good choices!  Elder Tanner and I had to go pick up some missionaries and on the way we went through Chick-Fil-A drive through real quick and the lady gave me two little cows that say "Eat mor chikin."  I don't know why, but it's spelled really weird like that.  I may be a little off, but it is something like that.  Anyways, we took a funny pick with them as a belt buckle. Ill send a pic! 

     

Saturday, we had a miracle. Straight up!  So remember Morgan?  Well, he still had wanted to be baptized but we had some concerns that he was still not understanding the priesthood and why our church was different. (Meaning the best).  Hehe...jk, but seriously. So, we went over to talk with him Saturday morning but we knew we had to do something different cause he just wasn't grasping it!  He has had all of the lessons, so we were like well we don't wanna teach the whole Restoration lesson again so we started with "The Savior's Earthly Ministry" and went from there.  Before we even started he shared a scripture with us that he came across in the Bible.  1 Kings 3:10-14 or so and we talked about prayer and the importance of it and basically to not pray for things that we don't need.  Verse 11 says it best.  Check it out!  

So we talked to him foreverrr!!! Like two in a half hours, and we read a lot out of the New Testament and honestly, this is why Elder Christensen stayed.  I don't know if you remember me saying, "His work here isn't done." but I did.  It really wasn't because there is no way I could have done that without him.  We worked together to help Morgan understand things and it worked.  Straight up!  He knows the Bible really well, and I'm like, "Uuuuhhhhh!!!"  Hahah....jk.  But seriously, anyone that knows me knows that I have very little knowledge about the scriptures, especially the Bible.  I know a little though, and I have a strong testimony about this gospel and no one can take that from me.  That is something I will always keep with me.  Anyways, long story short, Morgan said that this all makes sense now.  He was like, "You guys just answered all my questions that I have had my entire life in 1 hour."  To which I responded, "Well, maybe two hours...."  Haha, I know.  I'm still obnoxious.  Don't worry.  I am well aware. 

So basically he started crying and we were all just like caught up in the spirit.  Straight up.  I was trying so hard to not cry, but I gave in.  I couldn't help it.  When I stated that I knew without a doubt that we were supposed to be there at that moment together, I just lost it.  I was crying like a little newborn!  Most of you know that I do not like crying.  I thoroughly dislike it, but sometimes you can't even stop it and this was one of those times.  I know that Elder Christensen and I stayed together for a reason and Morgan is why.  I really couldn't have done it without him.  I know where my weaknesses are, and he was there to help.  I will for sure keep you posted about what happens with him. He should be able to be baptized this month.  He actually said, "That is why we have so many churches. There are so many good people.  But in order for me to live in the Celestial Kingdom, I have to be baptized in this church."  He straight up said that and my jaw just dropped!!  That was seriously one of the best days ever!!!

     

Later that day we went to a baptism that some missionaries in our zone taught.  Guess who we saw? I don't know. Haha, I don't know her name, but we saw someone from the Youth Conference and she came up to us and was like "I have 3 pages of notes from when you guys came and talked to us!"  Cray cray.  That was really cool, though. 

One last thing.  The sisters are teaching someone named Laura and she is gonna be baptized this Saturday.  We are the ones doing the baptism!!  She specifically asked for me to be the one to confirm her a member because I had given her a priesthood blessing a couple weeks ago, and she said she felt the spirit really strongly when I blessed her. Crazy huh!? I am kinda nervous!! It will all work out though. 

Alright, well I love you all and so does Heavenly Father.  He has a plan for each of us and as we are obedient to the commandments of The Lord, like Nephi (cause he is a boss).  We will be blessed with all that he has in store for us.  I know that to be true because I am living through that.  I have and continue to see that in my life!!  The church is so true.  I love you guys!!!!

Love Elder DeLuca

Coolest street everrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm on that road.  ( : 

This is Andralia and we team teach her with the sisters.  She is coming to church and she loves it!!!

The Harris family and our sister missionaries, Sister Ae and Sister Huber

Sorry it is a little blurry!  Best photo bomb everrr!!!!!!!!!!!!

We found this really cool abandoned place!  Gotta love selfiezzzz, hahaha.

I don't even know......Don't ask!!  Hahaha.  I'm a weirdooo.

.

What Is Good, Everyone?!?!

What is good everyone!!!!???? I had a pretty sick week so lemme spill it out! 

     

Okay, so on Tuesday we met with a new gator and her name is Courtney.  Her boyfriend is a less-active member and they both just wanna come closer to God and I was like "So do I!!"  Hahaha, well we taught them the first lesson and it went really well.  We have another meeting with them tomorrow, so keep them in your prayers please.  Pray that they will have the desire to learn more and be able to act on that!  That would be greatly appreciated! 

     

Wednesday was a cool day.  We didn't have time to go volunteer cause we had a meeting but we did get a lot of street contacting in.  We talked to a guy named John and he was super interested in learning more but he doesn't live in our area.  We gave him our number and told him to let us know if we could hook him up with the missionaries in his area. So, we went on and the whole rest of our evening we were literally trying to talk to everyone and no one wanted to listen!  It was so sad. We left the waterway and went over to Market Street to see if we had a better chance.  We said a prayer before we got out of the car and in that prayer we said, "Heavenly Father we have the faith that we will be able to talk to someone and teach a lesson."  The only thing about this place is that we cannot directly ask people if they wanna hear a message because security has asked us not to.  So we just smile and say hi to everyone and those that wanna talk to us will have to say something.  It's kinda risky! Hahaha.  

So we did a lap and no luck.  It was like 8:53 and we are supposed to be in by 9 unless we are in an appointment; then we can be in by 9:30. We live like 10 minutes away but we both were like, "Let's do another lap."  We started walking and sure enough God answered our prayer, as He always does.  We passed this guy and said hi and he was like, "Whats up guys?"  We actually passed, then turned back around and asked him if he wanted to hear a message and he was like "I don't know, do I?"  He said it in a cool way though. He wasn't being mean.  This guy reminded me of my brother Zack.  I don't know what it was about him, but he was just a cool guy.  We talked to him about our beliefs and he was asking really great questions and then we'd answer them.  It was so sick. I'm glad Elder Christensen was there with me cause he knows the Bible so well and I do not!  Hahaha, well then these other two guys walked up and they were his friends and I think one of them was his brother.  They ended up wanting to meet up again sometime so we have their numbers and they have ours.  This was one of our miracles this week.  ( :

 

Friday we had district meeting and that was sick.  We have a solid district and I really like going to those meetings.  We practiced someone saying no to an invitation to being baptized, then working it into asking for a soft commitment. "As you come to know these things are true, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God."  It was a good opportunity for all of us! 

     

Saturday we had a ward talent show that we were able to attend at the stake center. We even got to perform! I played a song I learned on the piano! Just kidding.....I wish.  I love the piano, but we didn't do anything besides help out Brother Harris when he roller skated.  You guys, he is so freakin good!  You have no idea!!!!  We held out these sticks and he jumped them on the ground then we lifted them and he was like jumping over them.  High too!  Then he went under them, and he took a skate off really fast and sat on one skate and went under laying down!!  I was amazed! Seriously my jaw must have been touching the ground.  I probably looked ridiculous up there, but its all good.  ( : 

     

So, Sunday I saved someone's life.  I really did.  This is not a joke.  Elder Christensen and Neville had another meeting so Elder Tanner and I were going to my ward correlation meeting and we passed by this turtle that was about to cross the road.  We almost hit it!!  It was like 50 yards before a red light so I jumped out of the car (at the light) and sprinted back to go save this lost soul.  I seriously was dippin!  I didn't know I could run that fast.  Elder Tanner was laughing hysterically!!!  I was seriously sweating when I got back in the car.  So I put this little dude in my bag cause I wanted to keep him and put him in the wilderness later that night.  When we got into out meeting I was like, "Sorry we are a couple minutes late, I saved a life."  Brother Harris was like "uhhh huhhh" and then I pulled him outta by bag and he was like, "Oh! hahahaha!"  (( :  I don't lie you guys!  Don't worry.  This isn't like a formal meeting.  Brother Harris is our ward mission leader and he is so sick.  I put the turtle in his back yard and everything was all good.  I made him a little play area for when we went to church, but HE ESCAPED!!!!!!!!!!  I know.  You are probably just as sad as me!!  It's ok....at least he wasn't run over by a car.  We went to share a message with them last night and I looked for him in the backyard with my flashlight, but no luck.  Squirdle was gonee.  Oh yeah, I named him that cause he went pee pee on my hand!  Hahaha, don't worry.  I washed them! 

     

So today we took our car into the dealership cause the a/c broke!  We should get it back tomorrow though! 

     

So we have transfers next Tuesday so if anyone sends anything, send it like today or tomorrow cause there is a possibility I won't get it for a long time if I am transferred.  It is not likely, but you never know!  I will let you know for sure next Monday cause we will know Sunday night!

     

Alright, well all of you have a wonderful week and know that I love you all!  Stand up for what is right everyone!  Be different.  Show people what you believe!!  Thanks for everything! 

Love this crazy fool, 

Elder DeLuca

I had to take my suit coat off cause I was on fire!!! There is Squirdle!! Sorry, he is shy!

I really hope you guys will still love me even if I'm bald.....Seriously it's bad.  I am working on it though.  I have Nioxin shampoo and conditioner and I am taking florasteride.  Straight up, I am fighting it. I am not a quitter, so just know if I come home bald, it was not my choice! 

This is on my Bishop's door into his garage.  I lovee it!  I will get some for my home someday!  I really miss shooting, but I have more important things to do for now! 

The Best Week Ever!!!!!

Oh my goodness.  I had the best week ever!!!!!!!!!  I don't have a ton of time, but Ill try to get everything in here.  ( :

     

So Monday, we went golfing and that was surprisingly pretty fun!  I never thought I'd say that.  I wasn't any good, but it was fun.  Plus, we got Chick-Fil-A after.  Can't go wrong there! Mmmmmhmmmmmm.  ( :

     

So Tuesday, we had another exchange and I was with Elder Tanner and we had a wonderful day.  We had a lesson with one of our gators that we team teach with the sister missionaries and we went to a member's home. 

   

Wednesday we volunteered at PCI again and I had the opportunity to mow the grass and side-walk with the horses! Soooo fun for me! 

   

Thursday was so sick.  We had interviews with President Pingree!  That is one remarkable man.  Straight up, like he is such an inspiration to me and I've only known him for like 2 in a half months or so, but I feel like we have known each other forever..... We had a great interview and I had mentioned how I am already seeing blessings back home just by me being out here.  Yes, I'm talking to you, fam.  You all are wonderful people and I love you guys so much.  I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of you. 

     

Check this out, we had received a call from President Thursday night while in a meeting so we called him back.  He had said that he wanted us (Elder Christensen and I) to come with him to a youth conference tomorrow.  Not his AP's, not any of the other 282 missionaries.  He wanted us to come.  That was crazy and I was kind of nervous!  So Friday, we met him and Sister Pingree and their son Joseph at a Home Depot parking lot at 7:30 in the morning.  We drove up to a member's ranch like and hour in a half away to go to this youth conference.  We made a pit stop at McDonald's on the way and just the way President talks to people is amazing.  I wanna be like him.  He got two ITL's just in the drive through.  Anyways, we go to this youth conference and it is Book of Mormon themed and so we roll up in our church clothes and everyone is in dirty old clothes hahah!  Pretty cool.  So there were like 4 different stations and we were the Missionary Work station.  Each group had like 70-80 youth in it so President talked for a little then he kinda turned the time over to us. 

We explained why we had the desire to come on missions, what it is like and the blessings that come from it.  This is my favorite part and I am about to cry just typing this.  As I looked out among these youth as I talk to them, I am scanning back and fourth to see the majority of them taking notes as I speak to them.  You guys, this was my favorite part of my mission.  I was kind of in shock..... Straight up.  Who in the world would take notes from me? I know so little.  One of the leaders came up to me after one of the sessions and she came up to me and she shook my hand and looked me in the eye and said "Thank you Elder DeLuca.  You are effective.  I felt the Spirit so strongly when you spoke to us."  Honestly, I feel like that was why I was there.  There have been times when we teach a lesson or something and I'm like "Yo, did you feel the Spirit in there?  Because I don't really feel like I did."  I seriously feel that some missionaries get used to having the Spirit and they don't notice it as much.  I know I do, but this lady was there to reassure me that she had felt it.  That was the best day ever.  We stood out in the baking sun from like 9:30 to almost 1 in the afternoon, and it was the best experience ever. 

     

Saturday, we met with two less actives and we visited one member who I seem to have a "click with" if you will.  I don't know why, but when he talks to us, he like straight up stares at me 98 percent of the time.  Not like in a creepy way or anything, but just like talking to me.  To my soul. It is really cool.  He is from Jamaica so you gotta listen close or you will lose him.  I love him so much and we are going to try to get over there more.  It's hard cause we don't wanna seem pushy or anything! 

     

Sunday was sick.  Justin came to church again all on his own!  We are gonna meet with him this week so Ill let you know whats up.  This Easter has been the illest!  I loved it so much.  This has been such a great time for me to focus on what the Savior did for me.  He performed the Atonement for all of us, so try to see what he has done for you personally and how you can use the enabling and strengthening power of it. 

    

I love y'all! <---- Had to do it  ( :  I actually tried it once to this guy who looked like a real Texan and he talked with us. Some people here won't even give you the time of day if you were to say "Hey guys, how's it goin?"  Crazy huh?  Not so much in The Woodlands, but there are a few real Texans here.  Anyways, excuse me for my rambling!  I love you and so does Heavenly Father!  Keep up the great work you all do! 

This was us at interviews!

College Park Ward, what uppp?!

President and Sister Pingree.  Best examples ever, with everything!!!

King Benjamin's Tower at youth conference (I did not preach from up there!) hahaha ( :

This guy looked so cool, we wanted a pic.  He made that himself!

See, I got a li'l sunburned from being outside all day!  It was so worth it though!!

Crawfish-eating, Golfing, Lawn-Mowing Missionary Work

So this week was pretty sweet.  Wednesday, we were able to go over to Roy's house and were able to help out by cleaning his garage.  That was a great service opportunity!

     

Friday, we had district meeting and talked mostly about the Atonement, where we were able to make it more personal as we teach.  I would encourage you all to study the Atonement and to really think about what you are doing when you are partaking of the Sacrament.  What the Savior did for us is truly incredible and it is such a blessing to be able to use the Atonement for strength when we are going through hard times, and to help us be even better when we are doing well.

    

Saturday, we went over to Brother Jackson's house and we helped him clean up his yard.  I was able to mow his lawn, and it was really fun for me!  I haven't gotten to mow any lawns in a long time, and it's something that I enjoy doing. After that, we went to a Stake Crawfish Boil where somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 people showed up and a lot of these people were non-members!  It was truly an amazing experience seeing the bonding between community members.  A plus was that I got to eat some crawfish, which wasn't too bad.  It wasn't my fave, but it was alright. 

     

After the Stake Crawfish Boil, Elder Christensen and I went with The Woodlands elders to Dairy Queen!  My Reese's blizzard was very good, but I kind of regretted eating the whole thing after I left.  We were able to talk to a guy who seemed somewhat interested in learning more about the Gospel, but doesn't live in our area and will be moving out of the Houston Area shortly. 

     

We had a similar experience on Sunday, with a guy named Daniel on the Waterway.  He studied different religions, but has never heard about the "Mormons."  So we gave him our card with our number so that he could contact us if he wanted to know more.  We had a really good conversation with him, though.

     

Well there are the highlights of my week.  It was awesome! My weeks are going by really fast......it is so weird.  I love you all and I look forward to talkin' with ya next week.  Have a great week! 

Love, 

Elder DeLuca

FHE at the Harris' house.....I love them. : )

We went real golfing today!!!!!

This was my ball and my ride.  The ball wasn't supposed to go there!  Hahahaha!  : )

There I am!  I got my first free haircut yesterday.  That's what's uppp!!!!  : )