My Sister Married In the Portland Temple

What is up Familia!!! So obviously today is Cinco De Mayo on a Monday, clearly a Sobczak Family day. So this last week has been a pretty good one.

As you could tell I did not call for the wedding, I did not get  a call from President to call so I did not. Sorry I talked about it all on the tape and that should be sent today and you should have that this week sometime. I did however wear Ayris ties all weekend.
The Blue Nordstrom fat tie I had before I left on Friday, the Gray Striped Skinny from Kohl's Saturday and the Paisley Skinny on Sunday. So thanks for the ties, had enough to get through the weekend feeling like I was there kind of.  I am a fan of Temple Marriage!

I have kind of redone how I do my studies so I have redove into Preach my Gospel which has been such an awesome experience. I have been studying the Christlike Attributes and Bearing Testimony sections and they have brought a whole new life into the studies I have had.
I realized that my other one was to big and I was not using it as much I should so I started clean, over, new. So that has been nice. I am going to send my old one home and you can go through it and see some of the studies and notes that I have made through the last 16 months of my mission.

Our Ward Mission Leader is being pretty controlling with what he wants us to do and doesn't quite understand that he cannot make rules for us on where we can and cannot go. So it is going to be interesting to see what happens these next couple weeks leading up to the summer. Other than that working with the ward has been going great. We haven't really found any new investigators but you know that whole "Faith to Endure" thing is being implied. Obviously there are things to learn and understand that I have not yet, maybe wont until I am out of the situation.

I get to call HOME on Mothers Day!

So for calling this weekend, we do not have a dinner signed up for Sunday...So we are going to be working on finding a dinner/someone to let us come over to call home. We are going to try around 4:00 or 5:00. I will probably call Sunday Morning and let you know the final details so you are not left hanging. So stay tuned and I will let you know for sure Sunday morning when we are exactly doing it all.

Other than that, not to much to report on. Oh could you possibly send me that Gray suit I sent home a couple of months ago? with both pairs of pants? I didn't need it but now I just have one 2 pant suit that I am wearing way to much and don't want it to get worn out really quick. If you send it there is a place I can take it to to get tailored and all of that, just would like having another suit with four pairs of suit pants instead of just 2 pairs of suit pants. Let me know if you can or cannot.

I love you all so much. glad to hear the weekend went well and everything is going good. Keep up the awesome work, again it is all much appreciated, you have no idea. I love you all and thank you all for everything you do. Time is moving quickly, so quickly, weird to think of all the things that have happened this past year. Keep up all the awesome work, excited to hear all to future stories and excited to talk in person this weekend. Love you so much and thank you again for all you do, love you so much!!!:)

Easter Promptings Miracles and Traction

So we had a pretty good week out here in the good ole' California Irvine Mission. The main cool thing was that Elder Neil L Anderson came and talked to all of us and then on Sunday for Easter he came to our stake and did a Stake Conference. It was awesome. Some Highlights of his and others from the weekend talks are as follows:

• We are the Salt of the Earth. Salt is put into to bread to raise the bread, we are sent out to "Raise the Faith." I thought that was a really good way to look at that because I have always looked at that phrase as a negative, this is from Elder Anderson.

• Sometimes the Lord knows we have the Faith to be healed and have Faith in Christ to heal us, but sometimes what is being tested is our "Faith to Endure." How well will we continue to be faithful and obedient when we are not seeing the outcome right off the bat of doing the good things. I have determined that that is what is being tested with me right now. Will I continue to do what needs to be done even when nothing seems to be happening. Obviously tweak things that need to but ultimately will I stay obedient or will I say it doesn't matter. So that was really cool, that thought came from our stake president.

• We need to be more thinking of ways to forgive the people around us. I mean come on, Christ forgave the people that were killing Him and the people that were next to him on the cross. This came from Sister Haney I believe, wife of area seventy

• Again, Apostles have seen the Resurrected Christ. Elder Anderson read President Packer's testimony from last conference and even now, I just feel the Spirit confirm to me the truthfulness of His words, his added testimony to that of Joseph Smith. Elder Anderson then said, "I add my witness, I am His Witness, He Lives, I am His Special Witness." Oh man the spirit that was there when He said that, Oh man even now it gives me the chills.

• Elder Anderson talked about all the places he has been and will be going to and basically rebuked the whole stake with out them even realizing it, it was so subtle. He basically said that the people in third world countries are much happier because they are humble. Again I don't have the exact quote but it was much more subtle than what I just said.

Those are the things I remember. It was an awesome Easter Weekend. On Wednesday night right before I went to bed I felt prompted to start a 24 hour fast for better guidance and strength in "finding" and to know how to stay more consecrated. We had Zone Training Thursday and Elder Campbell was sitting next to me, he is another DL in the Zone. He was talking about how he just started a 40 day fast, where you give up a list of like 10 things for 40 days, in the hopes to become more consecrated and become more open to the spirit. I was like; "Oh man sweet I will do it with you". He was like; "you have to start it with a 24 hour fast". I was like; "I already am, I felt prompted to start last night". He was like; "No way, I was trying to find a companion to do it with because mine isn't".  So it was cool to see how following promptings will end up helping someone as well as helping yourself. You have to follow the prompting as they come into your mind.   Don't ever pass up an opportunity to be guided by the spirit.

Nothing really else to mention. Except Monday after emailing we saw Kobe Bryant and Fashion Island, a mall here in Newport Beach. He was getting his Five Guys. Pretty cool. So lets see....Oh so I am officially accepted to SUU for Spring 2015. I also applied for the WUE scholarship, the lady over new freshman scholarships told me to follow up in October to see if I am being considered for the scholarship. Still waiting to hear back from BYU so we shall see how that works out. Really would love to go to either one,  so we shall see what happens???

Nothing else to mention. Transfer is going good, already week 4 cannot believe it. Hope all is going well, the loneliness is kind of going away, my comp just goes to bed super early so I never know what to do from 9:30 to 10:30, but I do have stuff to do. But it is going better so I am doing all good. Being on a mission is hard in alot of different ways, even though it is so awesome too.

Love you all so much Hope everything is going well. I have a package to send, but it can wait until I have a new address to send it too. Love you all so much, Thank you for everything you do. 

Oh quick side note, could you send me my cleats? The orange/yellow ones I wore in rugby? we do a lot of outside sport (soccer rugby ultimate Frisbee) so it would be nice to have some traction.Love you all so much keep up awesome work!

 Love you all so much :)

-- 

"Fourth Floor Last Door"

Elder Amric Zane Sobczak

California, Carlsbad, USA

January 2013-June 2013

California, Irvine, USA

July 2013-December 2014

Six Month Mission Served 18 Month Mission Called to Serve

March 2013 

6 Months
Jan 2nd - July 2nd
What they see at home!

Six months in the bag just like that. Oh man that is crazy to say. This past week has been super crazy and wild and hectic but it has already been a week into the new mission and it's July!!!??? Where is all the time going? 

I am currently serving in the Foothill Ranch Ward in the Rancho Santa Margarita Stake in the California Irvine Mission. Yes I know that it is a mouthfull to say. The area I am in is another area in need of fixing. I feel like that has been my calling out here so far. Help in getting the area organized and give it a specific direction for future missionaries and then -- ok -- we will transfer you! Hopefully it doesnt stay like that forever, but it has been nice cause for sure I have learned and I know exactly what needs to be done and how it needs to be done by now, of course as I heed the Spirits direction!!!  Every Area does have it's own needs!

My companion is Elder Darian Bosely from Mesa Arizona. He has just finished being trained so I am what they call "Greenie Busting" him. Basically the companion after your trainer is called that. They are suppose to break you of the bad habits your trainer gave you and help you see multiple ways of doing missionary work. The sad part though is that we will most likely be companions only until July 23rd which is our next transfer. 

http://www.lds.org/church/news/nea-cn-mission-president-assignments-2013

Speaking of that let me give you a break down of what has happened in the past week with starting as we start a new mission:

If you stayed in "Irvine" as a Carlsbad missionary you are on a 9 week transfer.

If you got transfered to "Irvine" a week ago you are only in a 4 week transfer. 

What that means in simple terms is that my mission got cut an additional three-four weeks short. So counting the week from when they shortened the MTC time I've lost I think 4-5 weeks off of my mission which sucks big time. Time was already going too quick.

We have a mission wide conference this Thursday the 4th of July from 10:30-2:00 getting to meet our new Mission Presidency. I just checked my other email to talk to President Orgill and he said on the 23rd of this month 30 missionaries will be joining our mission with lots more to come in the coming months. So this mission is about to blow up number wise.

The Newport Temple is in my mission. Hopefully this means I can attend the temple more.

HOT HOT HOT in my new area!!!!

All in all this is going to be the best time ever. President Orgill was President of the PCC in Hawaii so that should be fun and he is living in my stake so I will be seeing him around while I am here. I had it confirmed to me the other day that this is where I need to be. The Lord knew this mission was going to be made and I needed to be out in January even though I needed to serve in this mission. Missionary work is changing, it will never be the same again.

I love you all and I am so thankful for all the help you guys provide to me. Stay classy and keep the faith. The Gospel is true and that is all that is need to know. Have a great week and will talk next week :)

Deep thought:

I was studying the word "Order" the other day to best help the area because the area book was in no way "ordered". I got reminded of my study of Ordinance and how Ordinance went back to old Latin - into what? "Order". So think of it, being organized, having order is an "Ordinance of God".   Ponder this verse in Doctrine and Covenants 132:8 Behold, mine house is a house of ^aorder, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion. Without the order of the Church, Order of the Temple, Order of the Priesthood, no body would be saved. To be organized in itself is a saving ordinance. That is why we need to be organized and have order even in temporal matters because that is a reflection of our spiritual conversion to the Gospel. Hopefully that makes sense.

"Fourth Floor Last Door"

Elder Amric Zane Sobczak

California, Carlsbad, USA

January 2013-June 2013

California, Irvine, USA

July 2013-December 2014

The Lord Does and Will help us Help Others...

It's really true I am A full time missionary!

It's never too late!

So yet again another week has gone down in the books of missionary life.
What to reprt on this week? 

We have picked up a new investigator, although he might die soon. He is a 91 years old! HE is a man who loves to tell everyone he cant see and is deaf in one ear. So you know that looks great for us as missionaries. Looks like we only find old people who cant object to us. He is super awesome and loves to talk, if only he loved to hear as well (selective hearing!). "Examine your armor. Is there an unguarded or unprotected place? Determine now to add whatever part is missing. No matter how antiquated or lacking in parts your armor may be, always remember that it is within your power to make the necessary adjustments to complete your armor."  N. Eldon Tanner 1979

Ephesians 6: 13 - 20  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins ^agirt about with ^btruth, and having on the ^cbreastplate of ^drighteousness;  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of^apeace;  Above all, taking the shield of ^afaith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery ^bdarts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of ^asalvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  ^aPraying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all ^bperseverance and supplication for all saints;  And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the ^amystery of the gospel,   For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak ^aboldly, as I ought to speak.

Elder Neal and I met up with a Less-
Active member of the church which ended up being really inspiring for some reason. He is a member who served his mission in Nogala Japan, and when he came home he was an EQ President, and Sunday School President. He fell away from the church when he had to make the decision of if he wanted to get married in the temple or not. He said he did not take the decision to leave the church lightly and has gone through physical, mental, and spiritual pain since making the decision. At the start of our conversation he said he was a lost cause, but by the end though he had softened his heart just a little bit and seemed open to talking more to us. It is interesting when someone who has seen so much and they can say "I dont know if I will ever be able to believe the doctrine the way I did before I fell away ever again." That is a profound sad statement if it is true. I have felt a strong prompting that the Lord has or will provide me with a way to help this man return to the fold. 

As far as teaching people that is about it. 

I got the box, Thank YOU SO MUCH!!! GPS is Awesome food is great and I love the pictures, pins and CD's. Really appreciate how much you all have done for me since I have gone out.  Another pair of pants split out!!!

for some reason I think dad needs to watch this ... its my favorite video ever.  Maybe someone else will appreciate it too... can you put it on my facebook page??

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1839005837001

or here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr8xvw0cgw0

Glad we moved to Nebraska, and that we seem to be staying put! I love the house and would hate to say goodbye. It will be a place we can set down roots and help each other grow.  A place we can all come home to.  Also, it will be nice being able to come home to the same home and ward that I left from. Everything will work out and the Lord wil provide a way for us to be truly and perfectly happy as long as we strive to follow His will as best as we can.  hang in there :) 

Deep thought for the week...

The dilemma this week is ... My companion understands or believes that The Garden of Eden didnt really happen the way we invision it. He believes that we just needed something to visualize the story. He says that God is all powerful and so the Big Bang could be possible, God just made it happen. So the thoughts, just give me your thoughts and beliefs about the story of how we started In the Beginning - I know Apryl will have input for me (I hope you get that I strive to raise discussion and send you all out searching for your own answers with my Deep ThougHts!!!. This is the 3rd or 4th case of discussing it with people and it just brings up questions.

I am super tan. My hair got messed up because I thought I was cutting with a 5/8 but it was actually a 3/8. but hey I love it!

We went mountain biking today. Good ole' 16 mile bike ride!!!

Hope all is going well and that Zion is doing well. The Gospel is perfect - 5 months has flown by, It is already June 11th!! How crazy is that??!!  Please,  Tell the Sorensons hello from me and that they are awesome. Keep the faith and keep doing what you are doing. The Lord loves and knows all of us and thats all we can ask for. Do temple work for the family and lets get that rolling (more for me than you). Love you so much and again I really do hope all is well.

I have gots to go. I do not know if I will be able to get a letter in the mail this week to you or Ayris because I might not have enough time. :/ Sorry again for that. Love you lots tell Dad happy fathers day and that he is awesome and should have a pound stake some mashed potatoes gravy and cake for fathers day. Also, yes the tool box and I have learned great organizational skills out here I will teach him when i get home!!! Love you so much and appreciate all you do for me. Stay classy and stay safe.  By the way I do know more and more of the truthfulness of the Gospel. 

Later

-- 

"Fourth Floor Last Door"

"That's What's Up"

Elder Amric Zane Sobczak

California, Carlsbad, USA

January 2013-January 2015

April 16th Welcome to The Southern most tip of my mission!

It's looks like, since I went south I'll probably stay in the Carlsbad Mission!

AREA: My new ward is Carmel Valley, the Stake is Del Mar.  The community is a suburb, essentially of San Diego. The area is amazing and the ward is great.  I have learned this trivia; It is the Highest paying stake in the world. Who would have thought that they even kept such a status?  It isn't as close to the beach as Dana Point or at least it doesn't look like it is.  It is the very most southern tip of the mission so one wrong turn can take you out of the mission boundaries.  Which could be life altering according to my companion!  Companion:  He is in his last transfer his name is Elder Soderberg.

RUGBY:One of the top high school rugby programs in the nation is actually in Carmel Valley, Torrey Pines High School and a lot of the young men in the ward play on the team. So that has been fun. HOUSE Arrangements: I am living with a member, I have composed a letter written by hand that explains more that living arrangement.We go to the Library to email on Tuesday.

Other than that sadly to say is not to much else. I came into an already scheduled baptismal date with a man with a for April 27th.

WHAT I DO ALL DAY: We tract for 12 hours a day! and had One - yeah 1 teaching appointment this last week!!!  Maybe its just the area; but I am dissapointed because I know that the area can do much better. My companion is trunkie.So that's the "catch Up" and info on my whereabouts!  The mission life is getting easier, and tougher at the same time.  Easier because I am starting to figure out the ropes and littler better so I don't feel so lost. Tougher because I always start to think how long I have been out versus how much longer!   I guess it's a thought missionaries have lots! You just have to push forward everyday and don't look back.  A man who looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.  I don't know where I'd be without my parents and the support of my family and friends.  thank you who do support me :)

Okay so to prevent me from saying anything else that is super negative I will conclude with this statement.


I want to leave my mission with the knowledge that I know I did not leave anything back.  I am going to put all my cards and testimony on the table in hopefully every situation I am placed in. I know Heavenly Father has put me in this spot at this time for a exact and specific reason and for that knowledge alone I am grateful and thus nothing should be held back.  I do not want to look back and think or feel that I left something out. That is my goals for my next 20 months. Do the best I can in putting everything I have out there so that those I am put in the path of have every oppotunity to accept or deny the truth.

Luke 9:62 and Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.


I love you all so much, so sorry for the short letter, hopefully more exciting things happen this next week for me to write about next week. I hope all is well and I love you all very much.

Keep the Faith
God bless

"Fourth Floor Last Door"

"That's What's Up"

Elder Amric Zane Sobczak

California, Carlsbad, USA

January 2013-January 2015

Time is Relative...

What in the world??? It is April already I cannot believe it at all. Time is moving so quickly which is becoming a curse and a blessing as well. Its weird to think I have been in Dana Point 2 and a half months and that I am in the last week of my training transfers. Time, it is a crazy - it'a a funny thing too when you get really busy and start to think. In my free time, yes this is what missionaries do, I broke down time - trying to relate God's time to ours. You know the whole 1000 years to us is one day to him. Lets just say, never try to do that because you will lose yourself and your brain will hurt! I kind of figured a little bit out where when we see Him again in Spiritual time it will only have been like 10-15 minutes we were gone even though physically we were gone 75-95 years. Like I said, super weird thing and it is probably never to be meant to be understood in this lifetime so I will just have to wait until all will be made known unto us! So think of me being gone in that way, like I said kind of difficult but just think, 2 years of time with no real physical face to face contact but think of the millenium, think of the eternity, 2 years of time is like 1 minute or so in a spiritual sense. So if you think of it that way 2 years is not that long and we will have literally = FOREVER to catch up, so dont be saddened by the time -- I will be back before you know it! 

DEEP THOUGHT:  from again Brother Mollenhauer, a man of much knowledge.  We talked specifically about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In the Garden they were in a perfect state in a Terrestrial world. They werent in a Celestial world because they were not resurrected he said a little more but I will explain more later (wish I had a recorder to "talk" it through!  When they partook of the fruit of the tree they ate a Telestial thing and brought that into their Terrestial Body/Spirit. There was way more said, I dont know I probably missed some key parts I hope what I have said made sense. All I know is that it was a really cool conversation we had at church.

Lets see, investigators...

M - Doing very well. Starting to understand and have his own experiences reading the Book of Mormon.  He will read and comprehend what the scriptures are telling him.  He is taking his time.  Really cool to see the growth he has gone through over the two months I have been here teaching him. This week sadly we will not get to meet with him because he is traveling to Alabama with a stop in Salt Lake along the way. We gave him a CD with some talks on it and some scriptures to read while he and Sister Melville are driving cross country. He is progressing very well and is a very humble man who just wants to learn and understand all he can which is a very good thing for a person investigating the church to have and want.

E - is a busy busy lady who is currently working for three other people due to quitting and vacations of coworkers which has made it that much more evident she wants to learn because she keeps meeting with us no matter how busy. She is slowly starting to see the picture of the Gospel but is still a little skeptical about some parts. Which is perfectly okay. We are not out here to baptize people. If you ever get a missionary in your ward like that correct him. We are out to teach people guide them down the path and make sure we do all we can so they can make their own thought out decision. If that decision is - "no", then if we have done all we can do.  If they want to move forward and get baptized thats great. It must be done in their own time. We explained this to her and she was relieved because she did not want to let us down by not getting baptized in three or four weeks like she thought she had to do. She is a good sport but like M she is out of town this Easter week and the week after.

K - They are getting ready for the 18th of May. They all know it  is the right thing to do but they want to do it all as a family on the same day, in time she will make choices that need to be made I just know it. So we are being patient teaching her and helping her build tup her faith to know that through doing what Heavenly Father asks of us He will bless us in more ways than we could ever imagine. It is crunch time for them, I feel.  If it goes longer than the end of June I feel we might lose them because they will keep putting it off and off until Satan grabs them. keep them in your prayers as they are needed greatly for all aspects of their lives. They all know Baptism is the right thing for them to do and they need to have the Spirit consistently in their lives. She is just trusting to much in the arm of the flesh. Satan is a deceiver and wants us to think we have all the time in the world.

Things going on for me;

• Transfer planning is going on and we will know for sure by Saturday if Elder Armstrong or I are leaving on the 9th. Hopefully we do not. But hey if one of us does or both, then obviously God needs us in another area at this time and we have done our part in Dana Point ward, we have fought a good fight and exerted ourselves everyday using our time wisely.

• Dad- Way to Testify of truth to the J-Dubs. When I return we shall take the time to have pleasing and long conversations about bashing situations and testimony bearing with the very opinionated people of the County of Orange =the J-Dubs, Born Agains, some of the people - they hate us! Nothing like someone trying to run you off the road while you are riding your bike. People don't understand and without the right information they just hate us. The only thing you can do is bear your testimony and bear truth. God will judge accordingly.

• Mom and Ayris Too! -You rock and thank you for the Easter box. Really appreciate it a lot and all the other things you take the time do to make sure I am being taken care of. LDS Living magazine was a hit in the apartment and we all read it. keep on keeping on and trust and love the Lord in all you do :)  Ayris thank you for the boxes you send and the money you donate, especially as a college student!  It's humbling and very COOL. This time for you will prove to be quicker than you think now and profitable temporally and spiritually in the end.

• Glad you have the countdown Mom. Glad someone is counting because I am trying really hard not to count down time - haha! Somedays are harder than others to stay focused. Dad is getting old  you need to find that episode of KOTH and watch it before he goes in. Dont worry about an Easter tie - I have ties! Easter was great...spent like four hours at a family home. We had a huge dinner and lots of fun. Nice break and I knew you would love knowing I was being taken care of and having family time. Hey there is a guy in the ward who works for with theatre unions in LA and is going to give me information and contact stuff that I can look  up when I get home. Also, I now know an author and her book is being turned into a movie and she said to look her up when I get home and she might have work for me but for sure she would take me on set and walk me around!!! Hey it might all work out in TIME!

The Gospel is true and always will be. There is nothing anyone can say to prove us wrong.  We are the TRUE church! In time all will know that too. Stick that in your back pocket!  I love you all so much and thank you for your prayers, letters, packages and all you do. Stay safe and keep the faith.  Endure to the End. 

Until next TIME!

"Fourth Floor Last Door"

"That's What's Up"

Elder Amric Zane Sobczak

California, Carlsbad, USA

January 2013-January 2015