From 24 Nov 2008 email:

I'm glad to hear that gas prices are going down there, too. The lowest I've seen is about $1.94 on Friday. Who knows what they'll be today! And yes, I've used my long coat. I've never been so cold in my life! The chill just bites you to the bone. It's time to layer up. Soon I'll look like a giant marshmallow under my coat, but who cares because I'll be warm.

The only investigator we met with this week was Lillian. We taught her the plan of salvation which she was very interested in. She had told us when we first met her that it would be quite a miracle if we ever got her to change. But I'm seeing the Spirit work it's magic with her. She had so many good questions about it & wanted to be sure that she had it down right. Two of her sons showed up & took part in the lesson. Maybe something will become of that, too. We're meeting with her later this afternoon because our P-day is cut short. We get Thursday off for Thanksgiving & we have to make it up today.

Yesterday we attended an inter-faith Thanksgiving musical event at the Collinsville Congregational Church. A youth choir from the ward was singing & we wanted to show our support for them. It was a great program. But it made me appreciate belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some other churches have some crazy ideas of how to run things. However, I respect their members because they have that religious base in their life. Hopefully we'll get some support from the community for our Christmas program/nativity we're having on Dec. 6.

Saturday we joined forces with some of the ward members & helped the Burwoods clean up their yard. Boy, it was good to get out & do some work! We raked leaves, whacked weeds & other yard jobs. It was bitterly cold, but we all braved the weather to do some service. The Burwoods were VERY appreciative because they are older & have a hard time keeping up with their couple of acres. Sister Burwood even baked us pumpkin pies to show how much she cared.

We had another member move into the ward, making a grand total of 32 new members since I've been here. This ward is multiplying as fast as the mold in our bathroom. Sister Woodward (left), originally from Ohio, just got done serving in the missionary department at church headquarters. She provided counseling for missionaries who were going home because of emotional problems. I didn't know such a thing existed! She's always willing to help us missionaries & has opened up her home to us whenever we're in the area (Norfolk).

This week I've realized that I haven't been working as hard as I could be & that I'm not as obedient as I should be. But I'm changing . . . becoming more of what Heavenly Father wants me to be & less of what I want to be. I know that it's going to be a rough journey to
get there, but it will be worth it. The hardest thing for me is asking for help. When I first came out, I didn't want to turn into one of those cheesy missionaries, but now I know that they are the best ones. They know without a doubt that every effort they make to bring others to Christ is worth it. So watch out . . . I might be one of those weird missionaries who has a hard time adjusting to "real life" when I get home.

Thanks for all your love & support! You keep me going through the hard times. Love you!

Another Week

From Monday, 10 Nov 2008, email:

Sounds like more exciting things are happening back home. Did you get to learn a little bit about Connecticut from "Elder" Taylor's talk? I hear from people out here that he was a pretty awesome missionary. Elder Carr always tells me stories of him. Did he talk about the time he got to bale hay for a preacher of another church? Must have been right at home on the farm equipment!

There hasn't been anything too exciting going on this week. We met with the Perdomos on Thursday, but there were so many distractions. We used a cute object lesson about the gospel of Jesus Christ that the kids really liked. The family loves us to death, but are still a bit hesitant about being baptized. They aren't sure that it is true so this week we will be giving a lesson on prayer & fasting. Hopefully they will take it to heart & learn for themselves that this church is true & Joseph Smith was a prophet. They have so much potential!

Friday we went to Norfolk to help Ky Byrne (right) split wood.

We work with her doing service at the soup kitchen in Winsted. She instantly took a liking to us & has been a bit curious about our beliefs. It's kind of funny to say, but I enjoyed splitting wood. The rewards were about 1/2 cord done & a sore body. It was nice to break away from the usual missionary work & do some actual manual labor. Ky has been working on her 1850-ish house so we chatted a bit about fixing up old houses. I thought of Almo & all the work that you have been doing there. Save some for me when I get home! :) Hopefully she'll be calling us back this week so we can help her out some more.

We had a great meeting with our new district on Thursday. We talked about how we can gain back our enthusiasm in doing missionary work. Most missionaries hit a wall where they lose their steam. But this is the perfect time to do a personal inventory. Why are you out on a mission? What has kept you going? How will you feel when you step onto that plane when you're flying home? These questions have helped me to keep going through this rut my companion & I are in. We've put ourselves in order & set new goals so we'll make it the best transfer ever!

Sister Haueter says she knows of Devery Greene & knows who her brothers are. What a small world! And I remembered that Paul Allred had emailed me before my mission saying that he grew up in Burley & knew some Darringtons. I thought about it for a while and it hit me that there was an Elder Allred in my zone. And it just so happens to be THE Elder Allred. He's a great missionary.

I hope all continues to go well at home. Let the branch know that I'm thinking of them & that I miss them. And tell them good luck in all that they do! Love you all! Keep praying for the missionaries. And I'm extending a commitment to you all to read & study Preach My Gospel. It's not just for missionaries!