December 13, 2010

Mommy,

I'm glad that you got the letter and pictures. Sorry if the card was late we have been super super busy. And the pictures you should buy like a album book and put them all in it so I can have when I get back. :)

I got your Christmas package it was so good! Perfect. I love the PJs and all the things it is super cool and I loved it so much. We are printing christmas cards as a companionship and sending them to different people so I will send some to you to give to others if you want, like Brother Hess. I will tell you in the letter that it comes with. Also I would love a handwritten letter from the family like Bryson and Mckay and Tyla sometime when they are not busy I know how hard it is because I was terrible with Tenn so when they have time that would be great.

This week has been fun and very interesting. A lot of things are changing for the good but I need prayers that things will stay strong and we can keep getting people to teach. The Student wards will be slow for the holidays because everyone is going home but we are teaching two international students that will be here which will be good.

One is named Anatoly who is from Russia and is going to be baptized on Saturday he is super cool and a very nice guy. He is applying to grad school and I told him about BYU and he was super interested so he is going to look that up. Also it was funny so we have been super busy and working super hard lately and so yesterday at church I was just beat and I was falling asleep in sacrament meeting and Anatoly was seating next to me and he started asking me if I slept well the night before and stuff. I thought it was funny my investigator caught me falling asleep.

The other international student we are teaching is named Jiang Li he is from China and super cool. And it is sweet Elder Yim takes a hour of language study everyday so he teaches me Chinese for 30 minutes and I teach him English for 30 minutes. I am working towards sharing my testimony in Chinese. So I can share it with him. Even though Jiang Li speaks perfect English and we teach him in English.

Also it was super cool last night there was a sweet Relief Society Christmas concert where everyone brought their friends and stuff and we met a guy that has taken the lessons before and we are going to play basketball with him and some guys from the ward on Tuesday night and then teach him soon probably. He was super cool.

Then I don't know if I told you but I met a guy on the bus last week that had played against Hartnell in college he played at a Junior college in Cal and we are going to try to get him to start to come and play. Once we get these guys in the church our ward is so great that they will be invited to everything so that is what I am trying to do.

Also we have been teaching some guys that are crazy and just want a sign of the Book of Mormon being true. And I tell them that they should just read it and then they won't be able to deny it. It is so frustrating. They are MIT students and when missionaries gave them a Book of Mormon they researched the probablility of it being true and they say it is highly improbable IT is so FRUSTRATING!! Cause I can't bash with them I just am their friends.

We have been fed by members all the time and last night we went to a dinner with a guy that was a track runner on the BYU team. He is an avid BYU fan and so I asked him about Brandon and Kyle and he told me all about their seasons so far it was so good to talk sports (maybe a little apostate) . It was cool though to hear that they are doing good and working hard and that their team is good as well.

It is pretty crazy all the stuff we have going on here the transfer is going to fly by we don't have much free time and a lot of dinner and lunch appointments. It warmed up again and is like 40 degrees and raining all the time. Hopefully everything doesn't freeze or else the crazy drivers will be even more crazy and it will be a big mess. It is supposed to get way cold at the end of the week. I want it to snow soon. It is sweet the holiday spirit out here is strong with the real New Englanders and everyone else doesn't believe they just want stuff for themselves.

We are doing a cool Christmas thing with all of our members and I thought I would challenge you to do the same. We are asking them to think about the restoration and what it means to you. Then as you realize how important the message is to get a Book of Mormon write your testimony of its importance in your life then to give it to someone that needs it.

I know that by me having the restoration in my life that it has influenced nearly every decision that I have made in my life and that it is the key to coming to Christ and learning how to better use the Atonement to be a better person and one day becoming perfect. As we share the gospel we will only grow in our testimony and feel of the peace that living and sharing the gospel brings which is better than anything else in this world. Thanks mom for sharing your testimony and the gospel with me. Have a great time on your cruise you will really enjoy it and you deserve it same with dad.

Tell Bryson not to worry, just to work harder, sports are nothing. Just to have fun and make the best of what he can with his agency to choose. Elder Hiatt was at the Payson game. . he just went home a couple weeks ago and he called and talked to me and said that Provo sucked this year. He said he was going to talk to you guys but didn't know who you were. but he said he wants to come visit you sometime so I will give him your phone number . As for calling on Christmas we just call with our cell phones and I will tell you a time on next Monday we probably are going to have a baptism to attend that day so I will let you know.

Love you guys and have a great holiday season.