Oct. 6

Conference and Family Everywhere this weekend!

So this week has been a fun one, that is for sure. We did lots of service this week and that was really nice helped the week go by really quickly. We showed up at a members house and said hey another member told us you might need help with some house work so we are here, and oh man did we have fun, we ripped up the carpet and padding and tack board, oh before all of that we moved the furniture. So that was fun.
 Lets see what else happened....

OH Yeah Conference!!

So conference was really good!!!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/approaching-the-throne-of-god-with-confidence?lang=eng

The only talks I remember out on the frontal lobe of my mind is the Elder Jorg Klebingat

he was so good, he totally took his 1 opportunity to speak in conference and called out the whole church for being disobedient in some way or another. I loved it!!! 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/choose-wisely?lang=eng

Quentin's talk in Priesthood was really good. I love that he said "If you delay getting married because you want to finish school or get a good job you are not showing sufficient enough faith." that was hilarious! I thought of all my mid-single friends in my last ward and how they were feeling when he said that. 

I like that President Monson is sticking to his guns about not announcing any temples, good for him! Dean M. Davies, cant remember for sure what he talked about, but I can distinctly remember having a prompting to go back and study his talk once I can, so I will be doing that as soon as I can. 

Hmmmm....As always every talk was good, the foreign language ones were difficult to pay attention to; 1-because I wanted to hear them talk in their own language and just let the spirit teach me, and 2- I thought we would have captions not a voice over. But it was still really cool to see that the church is letting everyone have that option now!!!

I got my toe nail partially removed on Friday, that was fun so I am still feeling that a little bit. So the whole in grown and hurt edges are going away so we shall see what it looks and feels like in 2 weeks when i go in to get the other toe removed. 

We went on a hike this morning, realized how out of shape I am even though I have lost a lot of weight, but that was really fun this morning. It was the comp, 4 sisters and myself, so it was all good. These pics are of what it look liked at the look out point (1600 ft ). 

An elder and 2 sisters and I are starting a weight lose competition where we are going to track % weight lose and the person that wins (loses most % of weight between now and the 9th of December ) will get 10 dollars from each of the other 3 that don't lose the most % of weight so we shall see how that goes for all of us. 

Thank you both for all that you do, I forgot my atonement study binder so I do not have my challenge for this week.

Hey! I met Anona's sister. So I walk into my Relief Society Presidents house to drop some stuff off and this guy says to me; "Is your name really Elder Sobczak (said it correctly)"!     I reply yes - he says do you have a brother named Austin? I was like yes. He was like that is crazy My wife's sister is married to Austin. So then in walked Ana Hardin and it was really wierd and cool, super small world. AWESOME!

Anyways, that is all for the week. Go see Meet The Mormons this week  http://meetthemormons.com/post/99500117644/meet-the-mormons-new-movie?cid=HPWE100814481 if you can, it is such a good movie!!! 

Love you both so much!!

-- 

"Fourth Floor Last Door"

Elder Amric Zane Sobczak

California, Carlsbad, USA

January 2013-June 2013

California, Irvine, USA

July 2013-December 2014

I am a WitNess...

Let's start the letter with some interesting news:
I am being Transferred. 
Today is my last day in gorgeous Dana Point. 
Hard to accept, but hey! the Lord knows more than I do so I know that I am needed at this point in time to go to another place the Lord needs me at.   We have a thought, as an apartment that I am going to get assigned to the Temecula Stake because in 4 weeks Murietta (Mur-e-etta) Stake is becoming a part of Carlsbad mission from the Riverside mission.
No missionaries from the Riverside mission are staying so they are going to be whitewashing a whole Zone. Thus we think a lot of us will get assigned out to Temecula, then moved into Murietta in four weeks. I will go and do but dang ...

1. It is HOT out there in the summer like 115*! 
2. Whichever I get assigned tonight will probably determine the mission I get assigned to!
3. If I get assigned out there I wont be able to come to any baptisms in Dana Point because I will be to far away. So who knows???   but I will let you guys know next week where I am located. Mail still goes to same place so dont worry about mail you have already sent, I will get it, AND keep sending them!!!

Okay, now for some area news from the past week of being here in Dana Point. We have been crazy busy in getting the area ready for new missionaries to come in and that has taken a lot of time out of our week - because of all the stuff we needed to do (Planners, Map, Appointments, different things like that). But hey! it has made the time go crazy fast. Weird to think that it is the 9th of April already. Time is moving so fast and I am sure every transfer will just get faster and faster throughout the next two years. 

http://www.lds.org/?lang=eng

Elder Henry B Eyring 

Elder L. Tom Perry

Elder Fallabella

Elder J R Holland

Conference was amazing. First off, did you hear President Eyring Basically say out loud he has seen Jesus Christ "I am a witness of the resurrection of Christ" and "I know as surely as Joseph Smith did in the grove".  All the missionaries were freaking out that he said that. I mean we already know they have, cuz really they are apostles! but still, when they say it like that it just gives you goosebumps.   Also, It looks like Elder Perry has been taking Pulpit Pounding tips from our boy Elder Holland. Man, didnt Elder Perry throw down? It was AWESOME!!! SIN WILL ALWAYS BE SIN!! THE blessings of God are IMMUTABLE!! Yeah, I will tell you what, I totally felt the power dont know about you but hey! that was one of the best conference sessions I can remember.   Did Elder Fallabella come speak in Omaha? I know his name and could have sworn while he was speaking that I had heard that voice at a stake conference adult session. Let me know if he did...What about a temple in Cedar City huh?? The conference crowd gasped when he said that, who would have thought another Temple in Utah. 

Lets see what else???? 

K and her girls are doing good. We had an AMAZING lesson with them last thursday night. It was so cool I can't really explain what happened, just that the spirit was so strong and I could feel it testifying of truth to her and everyone else that was in the room as well. After the lesson I had the opportunity to give her a blessing of comfort and counsel and it was super cool. I seriously cannot remember anything I said, but when Sister T was telling about what she was feeling during it she said in her "50 odd years of life that was one of the best blessing she has ever heard". That it was so well worded. 
She and Brother T said I remind them of Nephi, Large in stature and spirit hahaha! That was really cool to hear that from them. They said I will be a great missionary and affect a lot of lives with the way I teach. I wish I could remember what I said but thats the thing, I didnt say it, the Spirit said it through me, those words are not for me to remember, They were meant for K and everyone else and are for them to remember. Our new investigator S and her less active boyfriend J are doing amazingly well! They are both honest seekers of truth and just want to know if God is really there and what He wants for them in their lives right now.

I got to say my goodbyes last night to the Rubalcava's, Tomlinson's, and Keli and her family. It sucked to say goodbye but i know I will be back to visit when the mission is over so this is not the last time I will see all of them. Brother Rubalcava told me I had to come and visit and he would take me out on his sail boat and we could go to Catalina Island. So parents, put that in your planners for April 2015. Coming back to visit Amric's mission!

Tell Dad this, Sell the Mazda  I love the car but its just a possesion and we do not need it right now. I love the car but we dont truly need it.  In this three months I have seen a single mom with a 3 year old child with severe ADHD be happy living in a 300 SQ foot flat paying 900 a month for rent. I have also seen people driving Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, Aston Martin's, and all sorts of other exotics.  People living in Ginormous 6,7,8 thousand sq foot homes be happy as well. The Mom has the Gospel and the others do not. Who will be happier in the long run? The mom with the Gospel and her child. Family and religion are two things that dont mix well here in So Cal. all you need to know is that I could have a 30 year old Lemon car or a Aston Martin. I will be happy no matter what because I have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and a family that loves me no matter what. The car is a possession that will go away. The family - the love and faith we have, that won't go away and thats what makes everything worth it. Sell the car, its just a possession! 

I know you are probably like who is this and where is my son? But this mission has changed me a lot up to this point and will continue to change me over the next two years so WATCH OUT!

The experiences that I have been able to have these past three months have shaped me and molded me onto the path of who I need to become. Heavenly Father has a specific plan for me in whatever mission I end up in. I know that I have had experiences and a certain testimony that is meant for at least one person in every area I serve in. With that Knowledge I close my time in Dana Point, I did not die with knowledge left in me and I will never die without my testimony out on the table. Stay strong to the faith, know that I am out here because I have a testimony that I was selected by revealation to serve in this part of the Lords vineyard for a specific task or reason. I love you all and hope all is going well. Stay true to the faith and do all you can to do the Lord's will.

I love you all...Peace Out!

"Fourth Floor Last Door"

"That's What's Up"

Elder Amric Zane Sobczak

California, Carlsbad, USA

January 2013-January 2015

Grab the Tissue!

 Well, well well....My how fast this past week has gone. It doesnt seem like its been 7 days since I last checked in. This has been a good week but it has been hard at the same time. 

We are teaching the "word" to the people of Dana Point and some are accepting of it...

   Im slowly but surely becoming a better teacher to the investigators and to the members. This family that we are teaching moving closer and closer to baptism as a family. Keli told us that if we ever needed a place to stop in to eat, say hello, or just talk her house was always opened  to us. She has her own business. She said after we are done with our missions to come back and she would teach us the basics of surfing. She's a total surfer chick.

   Well, we are part time bikes and I dont know if you have read anything about Orange County but the hills here are AWFUL. Really makes me appreciate having a car on the days we have it. I am becoming better at bike riding though and I can feel my legs toning up since we run for thirty minutes up and down hills everyday and we ride bikes every other day. Our mission area is huge.

Sunday we had a cool experience with a member family. We show up after stake conference to have lunch and this girl and guy are there...Assuming they are members we ask if they go to singles ward they laugh at the question say they should and that they are engaged. Cool cool all normal...well midway into lunch we start talking about how kids these days dont know the 'WHY' and that is what leads them to drink and smoke because they dont truly understand why they arent supposed to. At this point, the girl who was there says "Actually, I'm not a Mormon and I want to know why I cant have the occassional drink cause I dont think it is bad."  We were caught off guard because we thought she was a member. Turns out shes a non member renting a room from the family and she got engaged to a less active member of the church...
Well we answered her question helped her know how to talk to friends about her thoughts and then she asked "Why do you guys think you need a prophet?" We answered back with a question! We can come back and have more discussions with you. Long story short we got her number and picked up a new investigator. Pretty awesome how that happened.

My first Sunday in the ward I sang in the Ward Choir...Stake conference adult session I sang in the choir!  At our Zone Training meeting I was called to lead the music!  Some lady in another ward in our building said she wanted me and Elder Armstrong to sing a duet in her ward!  I think the Lord might be trying to send me a message that I need to pick up singing again!. Starting to get my singing voice back.  It is like the LORD taught if given a talent and it's not used - You'll have it taken away!

Thank you all so much for your letters. They are really inspiring and make the week better. There is talk my mission will reach the 250 missionaries by the end of the year...if that happens they will split the mission into two. So who knows I could  serve in 2 missions while i am gone for 2 years!  So keep that in mind.

I have the family picture on my desk and it keeps me going everyday. Im writing in my journal so that i will always remember these times. In my prayers I always - no matter where I am  ask - "Help us to always remember who we represent and who we are" (Grab the tissue box mom!). Ill send you more in a letter

I love you all so much. I have been out for six weeks already I know weird to think.

 Keep on Keeping on...Again I love you all so much

--

"Fourth Floor Last Door"

"That's What's Up"

Elder Amric Zane Sobczak

California, Carlsbad, USA