Chapter 14: The Greatest Among You Shall be Your Servant
- Amber Prior
- Jul 15
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 28
June 25, 2025
Weeks in the mission: 18 Companion: Elder Watson😎 Area: Riverside Ward: Mission Ward
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A big hello to everyone! Welcome to Chapter 14, let's get into it!
Our P-day this week is on Wednesday because that's when we were scheduled to go to the temple, so that's why I'm writing now. We went to do an endowment session. Bit by bit, line upon line, I understand the endowment more. Being instructed in the ways of the Spirit is amazing.
As I went through, I was thinking about the person whose name I had. How does it work? I might be totally wrong here, but I like to think that the person I'm representing is there right next to me, actually there in the temple. We just don't notice it.
Anyways, this week was just great! I had a couple days where I felt tired and lazy. Of course, I still went out and worked. Nothing is going to stop me from doing that.
I now have a few more responsibilities to do as a DL, such as planning exchanges, trainings, and conducting baptismal interviews for everyone in the district. I had my first interview on Friday with a guy named Johnny. He was ready to be baptized and got just that on Sunday!!! I couldn't make it to his baptism but I was so happy that he was able to become part of the Lord's true church.
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🙏 Prayer request 🙏
Will you please include the following friends of ours in your prayers? You have no idea how much it helps and how many miracles we see out here.
Ramon Payan. He's a very kind and hard-working hispanic who we met the last week. He's super busy and is terrible at answering his phone so we haven't been able to contact him, until just yesterday! He says he wants to start working towards baptism, and he is so amazing. Please pray for him to realize and accept the important message of the restored gospel.
Roosevelt Cruz. He is doing amazing, but Satan knows that. Please pray for him that he can continue forward in the straight and narrow path, that he can withstand the wiles of the adversary. We're not going to let him win against Cruz.
Angelica. She is a sweet hispanic lady who is very worried about the ICE situation and about her family and that they might get deported. We had Hermana Estrada call her, and they connected so well and became good friends. She even offered Angelica a ride to the church on Sunday! I can't wait for her to see the wonderful community that Christ's church provides.
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📅 Daily Events 📅
🔸️Monday Phew, first P-day of my 2nd transfer! I just got done planning for my first training tomorrow for District Council, so I'll make this journal entry quick.We went to the "Little Jackson" YSA church building for our P-day, and it's so awesome! There's pool table, ping-pong, air hockey, board games, you name it. We spent TONS of time playing chair soccer.We had a lesson tonight with Cruz and taught him the Restoration. He loved it. We called a member and had her testify over the phone, but she was honestly taking way too long haha. Cruz is just a dawg, though. We've already become such great friends!
🔸️Tuesday Today was my first DCM as a district leader. I was kind of stressing about making things perfect, which was totally unnecessary. We got started and it felt like I didn't really know what I was doing, but afterwards Elder Barker, the ZL, told me that he loved my training and that I did a great job, so it was really nice to hear that.We experienced a cool miracle today as well! We got a phone call and we didn't know who it was but I answered, having no idea who I was talking to. All of a sudden I had the clearest thought pop in my head that I was talking to Alex, so I took a shot in the dark and just threw in his name in the call. It was him. We confirmed for a lesson that we had with him very soon. It was incredible!
🔸️Wednesday Today, I honestly felt a bit lazy and didn't have the best attitude. BUT we still worked and had some great things happen! We found a few new people to teach and taught Cruz the Plan of Salvation! I love that guy.A problem that came up today is when the ward mission leader told us that the ward doesn't baptize unless it's on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. Apparently the ward is getting "burnt out" from all the baptisms that are happening. The APs, who are also in that ward, were having baptisms every week. I'm just surprised that the ward isn't happy with seeing all the success! I don't really understand it, but these are trying times out here in California for the Spanish people, especially with the whole ICE situation going on. Things are tense.
🔸️Thursday Today we worked and found some new friends and saw a bit of progress. And tonight, I did my DL calls and talked to everyone in the district. I scheduled exchanges that we're going to go on, so I can't wait for those!
🔸️Friday Things picked up the pace today. I need to make an affirmation list during personal study. Things I can tell myself to get me going and keep me motivated when I'm feeling down. Tomorrow, I'll sit down and make a list.We had a lesson with a recent convert named Juan. He and his family are amazing. We're trying to get him to the temple, but there's a lot of complications with the bishop and the ward. Sometimes it feels like they don't want to do the work, but I know that's not the case. I don't fully understand the situation.
🔸️Saturday I absolutely loved today. It was fantastic. I went on a 24-hour exchange with Elder Snow. I loved his technique with approaching people. He loves to start out with asking them if we could say a prayer for them. If they accept, it means they could be open to your message.A work habit that I have picked up is asking everyone we talk to if there's somebody they know that could use a hopeful message from God. Anyone who is going through a rough time that could use some strength or comfort. I like it because it shows them that we're just looking to do good. Most of the times, they don't give you somebody, but I have gotten a couple of referrals from asking people that.For dinner, a member paid for us to go pick up Texas Roadhouse!!! We got there and had to wait a bit, so me and Elder Barker got out of the car and did some contacting in the parking lot in the meantime.
🔸️Sunday What a great day! We were so blessed by the Lord in our efforts. So many miracles happened today. First off, Cruz came to church, despite his family wanting to take him on a hike at the same time. He came for sacrament meeting and then joined them afterwards. Next, we found out that one of our new friends came to church today with her 3 daughters, even though she told us she couldn't make it this week. Her name is Fanny Suarez. She's been taught by the missionaries in Utah and then moved down here. If it weren't for the ward rule regarding baptisms on 2nd and 4th Sundays only, we would have baptized her by now.Furthermore, we got the stake president and his 16-year-old son, Elijah, to come with us to a lesson tomorrow we have with Cruz! We plan to take Elijah finding with us soon, it should be great.Oh, AND a member from the Del Rey Ward in my 1st area ended up moving into the mission ward with me! Neither of us had any idea that we were in the same spot until now haha. He wants to come to a lot of lessons with us. It's going to be great!While finding, we miraculously got into this rather hidden apartment complex and knocked on many doors. The Lord led us to Angelica, who as soon as we told her that we were missionaries and that we wanted to pray for her, she started crying. We got talking and she told us she is going to come to church this Sunday! We're so excited to bring her the comfort of the gospel.
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☀️ Spiritual thought ☀️
Just the other day, in my readings of the Book of Mormon, I read through Mosiah chapter 3. King Benjamin's address to his people is so elegant. I have lately been thinking about how much I glaze over the scriptures that talk about Jesus Christ, since I'm used to them so much. But lately I've read the scriptures as if I were reading them for the first time, and I realized that Mosiah 3 is the best chapter you could use to introduce Jesus Christ to someone.
I invite you to read Mosiah 3, and while you read, just pretend that you are a foreigner with no knowledge about Christ. It'll open your eyes and help you remember how important He is and not to take what He did for us for granted.
Have a great week! Remember that you are a LITERAL child of God, with a divine inheritance! Don't ever forget that.
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📸 Photos 📸
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