State College Week 3

I am glad that dad was able to recover well from the surgery. It really is amazing what modern-day medicine can do. It really is a blessing! A couple scriptures come to mind. It seems that the Lord is fulfilling his promises he makes to missionaries in D&C 31:5, 100:1 with the quick and good recovery of Dad, and Mel's, surgery and any other sicknesses or things that the fam goes through.

Those pumpkins that you all carved are incredible! We're doing ours today so you'll get pictures of them next week. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do, but I'm sure I'll think of something by the time it rolls around. I'm pretty excited! Thank you so much for the box of goodies!!!!!! Those pumpkin chocolate chip bars were amazing!! My #1 favorite! and the cookies and the goodies! Elder Mason and I are going to rock those mustaches today when we go and carve pumpkins. I love you!!

That's so crazy to think that Mike is home from his mission! My how time flies! I'm glad that you were able to go and hear his talk. He's such a great guy, and I'm positive he's many notches higher than what I remember him to be 2 years ago. Missions change lives. It's changed mine incredibly! I can't wait to have the opportunity to tell you everything that I can't put in e-mails.

Elder Mason is doing great! I'm doing the best I can to teach him about missionary work, and I've found that my example is the biggest thing I can do for him, because he literally will copy things I say and do. Which puts a huge responsibility on me to be the best missionary I can be. He's great though.

So our investigators are doing great! We had an awesome lesson with Fei last night! We brought a member along who spoke Chinese and he was able to explain so many things so that Fei could understand. He served his mission in Taiwan so he knows the lingo of the gospel. It was soooooo cool to watch that. They got along great too! I bet Fei was impressed because an American could speak his language so fluently. Rashid came to church! He's back in town and we're going to continue to meet with him. He's great! The H.....hs (the couple that randomly came to church last week) came again, and we're going to meet with them on Friday. It turns out Bro. H......h works with a member in the ward so they know each other, and Sis. H......h who is not a member, is so awesome! She's going to bake us cookies to bring to the lesson on Friday. All in all things are going really really great here! I love this place!

Thank you for all the love and support you show me Mom. It really means so much to me! When I think about and pray for the family at night, I can't help but thing what a wonderful blessing it is to have the incredible family I do. The family truly is ordained of God, and is the most important social unit in time and eternity. Thank you for being such a great example of the gospel in the home. I love you and miss you!!

Love,
Benjamin

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Some Pictures

Enjoying the history of Harrisburg

Elders Serrano and Killpack.  Waffles..yum!

What a beautiful view near Harrisburg

In State College with his new companion, Elder Mason

State College Week 2

I am having a wonderful day! Our week was great, a lot of cool things happened! I'll have to tell you about them today. Rashid is doing pretty good, he didn't make it to church today because he went on a school trip to Philadelphia, and made it back last night. So we have yet to set up an appointment with him. Our apartment is great, and we are all settled in. Yes, I think you should totally go to Mike's homecoming!!! I can't believe that Mike (Card) is getting home already. Those two years seemed to fly by, it blows my mind! Tell him that he needs to e-mail me too, and you can give him my e-mail address. That would be great! I bet he was such an awesome missionary.

Yes, it is kinda nice being a DL again! I have so much responsibility relieved of me, it's great! But now I have other responsibilities now with training and working with 2 wards. It's good though. I have a lot more time to work in my area, instead of having to go on exchanges every week. I had a fun time being a ZL though. So Elder Taylor and Elder Lee are going home at the end of this transfer! That's so crazy! Two more of my companions are just about done. Before then it was only Elder Page, Elder Zaleski, and Elder Willmore, now two more! And that'll be it until I get home, all the rest of my companions are younger than me.

So I told Dad about this awesome new investigator we found this week, so I'll share what I told him, then add a few more things I forgot to add: "we found an incredible new investigator named Fei Y....! He's from China and had no knowledge or belief in God. We found him on Wednesday, he came to church on Sunday and then on Sunday night to see a baptism and confirmation of some children getting baptized! He kept making comments throughout his church experience that he loved the church, and how much he thinks that God will help him in his life, and how friendly people are, and how this church is much different that the other churches he's been to. We're super excited for him and plan on setting him with a date this week to be baptized next month." He also told us that when he gets back to China in a year he wants to share what he's learning with everyone! We've had one lesson with him and he's already missionary minded. Fei Y.... is the man, and I know that the Lord prepared him. Also through out the church experience, we kept asking him how he was feeling, and he responded positively each time, and so we were able to relate that back to how the Spirit works and teaches us, through our feelings, truth. Oh man! State College Rocks! We have another investigator named Denise M....n. She's has a baptismal date for the 6th of November. She's really excited to have the gift of the Holy Ghost. We inherited her from the sister missionaries when we came into the area. She's so great! She's african american, that was born and raised in Queens, New York, but lived all over the world, and she has a Jamaican accent!

Also this week (this email is long!) Elder W. Craig Zwick from the First Quorum of the Seventy came and did a mission tour Like Elder Gavarret last year. I didn't get interviewed by him, but I was the piano player for the whole meeting. I had to do prelude two times, and play soft background hymns while he shook the hands of all the missionaries. I probably played through 50 hymns that day, it was great! He and his wife thanked me much for my talent on the piano, and I was thinking about that and a response I could have given. Not to thank me, but to thank the Lord, and my mom. The two people who helped me develop my talent. So thanks mom for making do piano lessons until I loved it! He also told me that the music/hymns played in meetings is one of the most important things that happen, to bring the Spirit into the meeting. So that made me feel pretty special how grateful he was. He taught us as missionaries some really important things, and it was a really spiritually edifying meeting.

I love the church! Thanks for all you do for me, and the prayers you send my way. I can feel them.

Have a great week!

Love,
Benjamin

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State College Week 1

It is absolutely wonderful here! Yes, the trees are starting to change colors and it looks great! It's been kinda cold lately so some of them are just turning brown and dying, but we are getting a lot of fall changes and colors! I'll try and send some pictures to you next week when I do my e-mails. I sent a box last Monday and I don't know if it made it to you or not. It just has a lot of extra things that I really didn't need, like picture books and t shirts. Anyway, my new companion's name is Elder Mason from Rexburg Idaho. He's a really awesome brand new missionary, that is really prepared. We're going to have a great time here in State College. So Transfers was on Tuesday of last week, and we didn't get to our area until Friday. The reason being that our apartment wasn't ready for us to move in yet. So we stayed over in Pittsburgh and helped out the Office Elders with a few things for those few days previous to Friday. So when we finally got to State College Friday evening it turns out that we didn't have a key to the apartment, and the apartment office was closed by the time we got there. So we had to talk to some random person, ask for a number and have someone come out and let us in. By about 9:30 we got all the stuff into the apartment and set up. Because we were going into a brand new apartment, we got brand new things! New Mattresses and box springs, new desks (plastic tables), new shower curtains, cooking pans/ utensils, and dressers from Ikea! The only thing I forgot was hangers. So all my stuff is sitting on the floor right now. I'll have to get those today.

The Wards here are awesome! They are very big, and supportive! They have had sisters in the ward for about 4 years now, so they are very excited for the change, mostly because the priesthood can be more involved in the work now. And we get fed nearly every single night because the wards here rock!

We were also able to find a new investigator for us! His name is R....d I....l T...y, and he is from Sierra Leon, Africa. He's here on some student thing for Penn State. He has some family that are members of the church back in Africa, and one on a mission, so he's somewhat familiar with the church. We found him on Saturday (our first full day in State College), and he came to church yesterday! He's really cool and we are excited to teach him in the future.

I love it here and I look forward to serving here for the next few months, or even the final months of my mission.


Love,
Elder Benjamin Luis Serrano

Harrisburg Week 18

So today I will be sending a mass e-mail to you all because of the lack of time I have today. Don't worry I didn't e-mail anyone else and take forever, I just have a lot I need to do today. So here's the lo-down on what is happening in my mission life. Yesterday I got a call from President Topham and he said, "this is the call that you've been dreading to get huh?" At that point, I was thought, uh-oh. I thought that I was just going to get released as zone leader and then go to another area but there's a whole lot more to it. He told me that:
-I will be a district leader.
-I will be training another new missionary.
-I will be opening a new area in State College, PA (where Penn State
University is).
-Therefore doubling-in or in other words white-washing.
-And The new area I will be in will cover 2 wards, yes, 2 wards.

This all means as well that I need to leave for Pittsburgh today at around 4 pm. Yeah, that's why I have a lot to get done today. I was packing until about midnight last night, the set my alarm for 5:30am so I could continue and get it all done. Now it's done. So I was expecting to have some burdens lifted by being released as a ZL, but in reality a whole bunch more responsibility just got packed on to me haha. It will be a great new experience for me, because I've never opened a new area before, or covered 2 wards. So we'll see what
happens. I know that the Lord will bless me and help my companion and I out. Also because of this, I don't know if I'll be in State College for the rest of my mission or not. I hope so, but we'll see. I just realized that in the course of my mission I have been in a leadership position for 15 months of my mission. It's crazy to think about. But I've loved it so much! I have learned  a lot, needless to say. And I thank the Lord for it.

Conference this past time was amazing! I though President Monson was rather goofy this time around as well! Haha, God bless our Prophet dear! He truly is the Prophet of God for our day and time! I absolutely love the talk that a member of the Seventy gave about how the Church is fulfilling many old testament prophesies (A stone cut without hands, that rolled until it filled the earth, etc.), I also loved Elder Scott's talk about the Standard Works. I love hearing about the scriptures! They're the most important and sacred thing I own. Something though, that really stuck out to me this week, and during conference is the power of prayer. It's amazing and I KNOW that the Lord hears and answers our prayers. I love Him for it. And owe my life to Him.

I'll e-mail again on Wednesday I think, and let you know of my new apartment address and a few more things. I LOVE YOU FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!! (He did not get a chance to e-mail Wednesday-S)

Love,
Benjamin

Harrisburg Week 17

Hey Mom!

My week out here was a pretty good week! We actually do have a couple people with a baptismal date and these people area absolutely solid and ready! One is Kaylee Y......r, who you know about, she's still set for the 29 of October. Her dad gets home from Germany this weekend so we'll see what happens with that, if he approves or not. Sis. Y......r assures that there will be no problems, which I believe! So I'm super excited for that family, because I love them so much! The other one with a date is a young man named Colby H........n. He lives in a branch north of Harrisburg that we cover. He's a way solid kid! His uncle is a member and he really looks up to that uncle. He was introduced to the church through him and was taught a few times in Virginia. He's super solid and already has his sights set on getting to the Celestial Kingdom! He said, "I'm going to do everything I can to get there!" Did I mention that he's only 16? He's already got those awesome mind sets and goals and it was the first time I've met him, second time being taught. He is super awesome! And yes, the Holy Ghost is testifying to them the truth. Whether they know it or not, they're receiving it. Now it's our job to help them recognize and understand those promptings.

So yes, this probably will be my last week here in Harrisburg. Change is good, but I love this place and the people in it so much! It'll be hard to leave. It's also crazy to think that my next area will be my last. It's surreal, it's weird, but I am committed to not let that get to me and I will work hard to the last day of my mission! I've made a pact with a couple missionaries here that that won't happen, and we're going to be Legends! There are a couple missionaries that have gone home a couple years ago that missionaries still talk about. We want to be one of those!

Isn't it great? You're going shopping for another missionary! I still have most of the stuff we went shopping for, with the exception of one pair of shoes. The South Side killed them. Oh and that piece of luggage. I've acquired another suit, and probably an additional 40 ties. Yeah, I'm not exaggerating. They're our only source of personality in uniform, can you blame me?! :)

Love,

Benjamin

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Harrisburg Week 16

So first off I want to answer your question about noisy kids and lazy parents in sacrament meeting. It is pretty different out here in the mission field! Since we do have investigators coming often for their first time, we do want the experience to be a good one and with a minimal noise level. So the bishop and ward council do discuss about people being prompt and taking their kids out of the chapel if they start acting up. I think it's 1. because of investigators, and 2. I think there are more naggy, and complaining old people out here so they definitely speak up to the bishopric if the noise is out of hand haha. Of course kids are kids, and every once in a while you get those parents that let their kids run around the cultural hall and make ruckus, but the majority of the wards are good about being noise conscious. It's funny to because there aren't nearly as many families with a lot of little kids as you would find out West. So that helps. Do you remember David K...s? His comments after his very first sacrament meeting were, "I felt like I was in a Chuck-e-Cheeses.", he ended up getting baptized, but you better believe that the Bishopric quickly addressed that!

Anyway, I am doing quite well and things area going pretty good! This week was a relatively slow, but some really good things happened! I had a chance to go on an exchange down to a place called New Holland, or Ephrata. That place is really cool because there are lots of Amish/ Mennonite people! They were riding their bikes, horse and buggies, push scooters, everything! I guess we get that kind of attention too when we walk around in our white shirt and ties. So that was fun! I ate some delicious Amish donuts! It was awesome!

5- hours later....

Sorry this letter has taken so long to get to you! The libraries today are closed because of some staff meeting for all the library people, so then we came here to  HACC (Harrisburg Area Community College) to do our emails and about 45 minutes in, the library people asked all that aren't doing academic work to give up the computers to people that were waiting to use them for such. And that meant us, so we got kicked out. We decided to go to this pizza place, and it was INCREDIBLE!! Then we went bowling for free, then we went and hung out at the church and played wall ball with a dodgeball. Now I'm back and ready to finish up this e-mail before the Pday is over.

Things are pretty much back to normal weather wise, as normal as central PA weather gets. They say over here, "If you don't like the weather in central PA, wait 5 minutes. It'll change." That reminds me of UT!

So in about an hour we're going to go and visit Obed C.....!! He's so awesome! He actually called us and made sure we were still coming over! What a good guy. I'm way excited to be teaching him the gospel, it'll be great. I don't know if I'll get to stick around to see his baptism ;) but I know that he'll progress as the Lord helps us help him.

So this week at Zone Conference, I learned something completely awesome that has changed my life forever! It is about recognizing promptings from the Holy Ghost. Often times I ask, is it just me thinking, or is it the Holy Ghost. I don't know if you have had that question or not, but I got an awesome answer of how to tell if it's the Spirit. Elder Jay E. Jensen of the Presidency of the Seventy actually did a surprise visit to the mission and only a few missionaries got to speak with him. Elder Nielsen (one of the Assistants to the President) asked him about recognizing the Spirit and Elder Jensen gave him this: he called it, "Revelation, the First Presidency does it." There are three scriptures, all in the Doctrine and Covenants:

1. DC 6:23 "Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?"
     -The holy ghost gives us peace when we ask for an answer. Peace is something we can all recognize, and is an answer to prayers for guidance. Peace is the Comforter, not ourselves.

2. DC 128:1 " As I stated to you in my letter before I left my place, that I would write to you from time to time and give you information in relation to many subjects, I now resume the subject of the baptism for the dead, as that subject seems to occupy my mind, and press itself upon my feelings the strongest, since I have been pursued by my enemies."

    - When we are receiving a prompting from the  Holy Ghost, often it will be something that we keep thinking about or something that we really feel strongly to do, or say. This happened to me just last week where I kept feeling like I needed to go see someone that was kinda far away and out of the way. I put it off once, and it came back so I went. And that person needed a blessing and was praying that we would come. Incredible.

3. DC 11:12,13 "12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. 13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy; "

    - I think that these are pretty self-explanatory. The Spirit, when it prompts us, will invite us to do all the highlighted. If what we feel we need to do, and think it is a prompting, falls under these categories, than it is of the Spirit.

These scriptures have been amazing to me and my growth in the gospel. I love it! It is the favorite thing that I've learned lately. I hope that these will help you as well. I think I better finish this one up, it's a pretty long one. Thank you so much for your support, love, testimony, and encouragement. It means a lot to me! Have a great week!

Love,

Benjamin

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