June Is Ending Already...

Yeah, I look forward to seeing how awesome laptops are when I come home! Seeing all the ads and stuff about laptops now and then help me know how much I love technology, and how much I'm figuring that I want to be a Electrical Engineer with a side of Programming. Imagining all of the things that that path will lead is a lot of fun! However, that's still a long ways ahead. So focusing again. Things have definitely been really hot and surprisingly dry out here. Not to mention windy on top of that. It's almost like being in Arizona again. We've been working with some amazing people, and we have high hopes for them, and for their progress. This week has definitely been better than the last few, which have been pretty slow, but like always there's still room for improvement. I actually came down with a little bug which took me out for a couple of hours last Tuesday. It was something weird with my stomach. Fortunately things were better after a rough night (on Monday) and a little nap that Tuesday. It was really bothering me, and making it hard to focus on anything, especially trying to listen to someone not speaking English. I'm happy that I'm perfectly fine now. Being sick is _never_ fun.

We've run into some new people this week, and we've been working with more of those whom we've been having trouble contacting. So I'm really happy with the way things are going right now. Just keep moving forward and onward.

So this week is a short P-Day for me because I'm going to the temple again! YES!! I hope it will be just as good as it was last time we went around in March/April. It really is a beautiful place, and a big temple in Oakland. Hopefully, some of our plans to take some of our investigators down there will work through.

It's also been a lot of fun seeing all of the different places there are to see here, all of the different unique restaurants that you never see anywhere else. I hope that I get the chance to try some of the other places around here! It's like finding little restaurant or fast-food gems that are only local stores. If we came out as a family I'd know some really good places to go, and could tell you where according to you're hungering for.

Elder Bittner's a great guy. We have our little rough spots sometimes but all-in-all we're close, and we share a lot of interests. He's one of those that I'll still be in touch with every now and then. It's funny how many close friends you can make out here.

It's true that the SR mission will only be what it needs to be if everyone is committed to living the higher standard. To changing what needs to be to follow after Christ. I remember when several people came to Christ to become a disciple or an apostle, and they were commanded to change in some form or another to leave everything and follow Him, putting all other affairs on hold. We have all committed to doing this. It's up to us to make those changes, Christ will walk and lead the way, but we still need to make the effort to follow Him. He'll do all in His power and wisdom to help us on that path, but it is still ours to walk. To learn and grow. We always need to be willing to make that next step, and to keep moving forward even when you feel that it you can't make it, or when you're afraid of not being able to see the road ahead to have the faith in Christ to keep moving, and following in His footsteps. I'm grateful for my Savior and His example for me, and for everything that He has done for me, and all the I know that He will yet do. His sacrifice was endless, His love is unimaginable, and yet I can glimpse at it through this work. If I gain nothing else from this mission experience it will be this: I have come to know and understand my Savior more fully, and deeply than in any other way, and to understand the purpose that He has for me in my life.

I know that there is so much more that  I'm gaining from being out here that all that I'm doing to be out here doesn't merit it. I know that even as I dedicate my all that it may not be enough - but God will work through my efforts and make miracles happen as I am obedient in all things. I know this to be true, and I'm grateful be out here in a time where things are changing for the better, that we're raising the standard and are seeing miracles. Those miracles wont be just with the investigators, but among us missionaries as well.

Here's some of the people we've been working with this week:

Eric Jacobo- He's a young teen that we've been teaching for a couple of weeks. He's had a few rough spots in life, but he's a hard worker, and wants more of God in his life. He's still struggling to read the Book of Mormon on his work schedule everyday, but I know that as he applies himself to reading it and praying about it that he'll know that it's true.

Francisco and Juan (and friends)-He moved from Napa to come out here. He lives in a house full of other Latino people. He loves it when we come over, and he calls us his angels from God. He likes how fortified we are in the scriptures and in God's word, but he seems to not catch the vision of the magnitude of significance of the Restoration. We read from the Book of Mormon this week with him, and he really liked it. I hope that it will help inspire him to read it along with our commitments. He appears to be someone who may take awhile, but I know that even with the most unlikely of people. that if they follow through with the commitments that they'll come to know that this is true.

Veronica and Virginia- They're people that we're teaching the Daily Dose program to. We have talked about the Book of Mormon a little bit, and we're going to be teaching them about the Restoration this coming week. I'm excited for them, and I hope that they will feel the spirit and be willing to follow Jesus Christ by keeping those commitments.

I'm happy here in Fairfield, and I love being with Elder Bittner. He's a funny guy, but he knows what he's doing. I'll laugh if he gets called to be a trainer this coming transfer.

Love you all! I know that this is the true church of Christ, the church that He established on the Earth, and that the Book of Mormon is God's word for our days, and that He has called a living prophet to lead and guide us.

Your missionary, and brother,

Elder Mackelprang

Regarding the package:

• The last package was wonderful! If it's anything similar to last months package it will be great! I think it would be fun if I had a cake mix or a cookie mix, but I wouldn't want too many of those if you did send one that would be great. Especially, if it was like a red, white, and blue festive type cake mix or something. You guys know me. You always send great stuff.
• I think that the show is called "sabado gigantes" on Univision Spanish channel 14 (the channel for what broadcasting co. I dunno)
• There are some amazing things about my mission in my blessing and I feel that Fernando is one of them. I think that there are a few others around here too. I just need to speak out to them.
• Josh! Have fun at Boy Scouts! Don't give Ben a hard time with the 'gangsta style', or he'll beat you down.
• Jenna keeping enjoying those books! I saw a cool looking book at Wal-Mart today called the Red Pyramid written by the guy who wrote the Demigod series (Percy Jackson) I'm sure you'll enjoy that. I guess you get the Leah's old laptop, huh? Have fun with it! ;-)
• Congrats on your new job Leah! I hope that it works out for you! Enjoy your new laptop. 

PS Hey Josh/Leah/Jenna it'd be cool to hear from you guys now that you have some extra time this summer! I hope I hear from you next week!