September 19th, 2011

The work is going AMAZINGLY well! Like I said last week, Elder Marshall and I are opening an area, and there are so many miracles every day, it's amazing how your perspective is changed as a missionary, someone sitting outside smoking is now a daughter of God who has an entire life-story they could share with us and could benefit eternally from us talking to her and her husband. That just happened last night. We have been guided in our tracting, too. We have tracted into multiple less-active members, who just needed a little help to get back to church, and one of them was a single father who we spent most of Saturday and Sunday with him and he came to church, I really think he needed us based on some things he and his mom said. This work is so amazing, the Lord is reaching out to new people every day through us, and I hope you have been as blessed by it as I have been. The weather has gone crazy and it has gotten CHILLY all of a sudden! It's looking like there will be an early winter this year, and it has been raining the last few days, but I have been managing to survive without a raincoat, because I brought that fleece REI jacket I got from the Melrose building. It wouldn't do much in a downpour(which happen) but it keeps me dry in the lighter stuff so far. I haven't gotten any mail yet, and We still don';t have an apartment, and it will probably be another three weeks before we move into one, so you could probably just start mailing anything in the next week and a half to 1005 Vandiver Farmington, MO, that's where we're staying. Things are going really well with the Branch, too, a huge portion of our efforts are going towards strengthening the Branch we are trying to bring people in to, because there is an 80% inactivity rate!!! Hence my excitement at those less-active contacts. Also, they want me to play in sacrament meeting AND the ZL's are asking me to play at all of our meetings and such.. I don't know if I already mentioned that, but the lady who plays messes up a lot, so they're really pressuring me, but I don't know if I could do any better, because they sing some of the weird hymns out here and I’ve never played the organ! I love this work so much, and Elder Marshall says that he has seen more miracles in the week and a half we have been here than he has in the entire rest of his mission, and I believe it.

NO! Not the Chargers! Stupid Patriots. Anniversary game against KC! You should go! If only it weren't on a Sunday. 
I was telling the other elders that the way the weather is right now is like the depth of winter in San Diego, and they all were like "Are you SERIOUS??" I love my city. I'm also really glad to hear that you're sticking with tennis and getting good at it, everyone down here (and I'm really not exaggerating all that much) has diabetes, or some other horrible health problem, but they are still wonderful, loving people, PLEASE stay active, I don't want that to happen to my family.

I would highly recommend reading Romans, it reminds me of the scripture that says if you believe the scriptures say these things, you have not understood them, because there are some plain and precious things that were preserved in that book that it would appear as if others disregard. All of my gear is working out wonderfully, I always get a comment or two a day about my CamelBak, some people ask me if I have asthma (cuz they assume everyone has some sort of horrible disease) and if it's oxygen. My shoes are all doing really well, the Ecco's are looking like they won't be wearing down too quickly, and the Nunn-Bushes are comfortable too, both will be preserved by the "service" pair I brought from target and my running shoes. Today is Zone P-day, which means we drive two hours to our ZL's apartment and play sports for a few hours with a bunch of missionaries, it should be SUPER fun! I am SO jealous of your food! I have had to spend money on some basic living items instead of food, because this is my first transfer, so I have 17.10 to last me 10 more days, but I have a lot of food saved up, like PB&J and Top Ramen and some stuff the branch has given us, which is a HUGE blessing. Sleeping on the couches is getting really old, though, so I can't WAIT for us to get our own place, not to mention morning showers are a bit complicated. Many people here are very hospitable, though, we have a dinner appointment with the couple we contacted last night! And THEY offered! Even if they don't get baptized in my time, hopefully we'll have left a lasting impression and planted the seed of Faith. It's tough sometimes, though, because MANY of the people are so jaded towards religion, it's hard to get through to them, but the unique message of the Restoration is so powerful and true, that if they will listen, it usually allows their souls to be wrought upon by the Spirit. We just opened this area and we already have two investigators committed to baptism! So great.