Turkey Bowl

From Nov. 30, 2009, email: I had a wonderful Thanksgiving out here in Connecticut. We started out with a Turkey Bowl over at Trinity College. I'd like to thank my brothers for teaching me how to play football....you should have seen the look on the Elders' faces when I caught a few long passes and even intercepted the ball. Haha! It was SO much fun! After most of the crowd left we sat on the field and played a few rounds of "Signs." Then we headed off to our Thanksgiving dinner.

Tim & Brenda Green had us over along with a houseful of their family. The dinner was yummy and the company was great. Some of their family aren't members of the church so we were able to talk a little bit about our beliefs. One of the old guys there was WWII vet who had landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. The brutality of war had led him to believe that there was no God. How would that be? What would life be like without the knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father? There would be no hope, nor happiness, and nothing to look forward to. That's why at this Thanksgiving time I am grateful for my testimony of the gospel. I can't imagine life without it. And I'm also grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission because it has solidified my testimony.

It's quite a change adjusting to Torrington from Windsor. There isn't as much going on here, but there is lots of potential! We taught Debra and her family again this week, but it seemed like every distraction in the book was working against us. Debra's parents were there conversing between themselves, the TV was blaring, the phone kept ringing, and numerous other things. But that was because we were teaching the greatest message that we have to offer: The Restoration of the Gospel. Even though it started out rocky, I think they felt the Spirit. I feel that we are here more for the younger kids so they may accept the gospel when they are old enough.

We also taught Sister Senecal again. She's a less-active member who had deterred off the strait and narrow path a bit. But she is making progress to find her way back. She was going to come to church yesterday (which is a HUGE step), but her ride situation didn't work out. We used the conference talk entitled "Preserving the Heart's Mighty Change" for our lesson, which she really enjoyed. She realizes that her heart has slowly been hardened and she is seeing the need to change. I love working with less-actives. I love helping them rediscover their testimonies and recognize the feelings of the spirit. President Pehrson made a good statement when he said that when we re-activate a less-active, it's just like having a baptism.

Yes, I did get accepted to BYU and I'm planning to pursue a Family History degree. Since being on my mission, that is the direction that I feel like I should head in. Maybe it's all of these dead ancestors out here! I didn't think that the day would ever come that I would want to attend BYU...but I guess it's here now!