Hey Mom,

 

Things are coming close. President Sorensen at transfer meeting made a comment about this being his last transfer meeting and that they only have five weeks left before they leave. He hasn't really made any comments like that before. I think it's really starting to come to him that it's coming to a close. That also means that its coming to a close for me as well, it's crazy to think about that there really isn't that much time left at all. It will be a little hard when Vallinga gets here because I will only have a few weeks left and I don't know how much will be changing and I probably won't really have a desire to change too much when there isn't that much time left. But who knows.

That's sweet that Jerry is going to be keeping me a spot to help coach. I will have to get back into the football mentality ha. it will be three years by the time I start again. That will be nice though, I need a good excuse to work out. It should be nice too because I don't think it will take up that much time, just a few hours every day just going to football practice. Sounds pretty legit to me! haha.

Oh yeah, I just went to the dentist as well, we have one in the ward. I went because I thought that I had some cavities, Turns out that my gums have just receded and so part of the root is showing on my teeth. I have to rub some sensodine type of toothpaste on my teeth at night to build up some protection there and then start brushing and flossing a lot softer so the gums don't get torn up any more. Kind of a bummer. I was told at my last dentist visit before my mission that I had a gum infection because I didn't floss at all and now I guess I went a little bit over-board and tore up some of my gums. dang. It's kind of annoying but I will have to get better at it now. that's for sure. I need to have some good teeth if I'm going to be an Orthodontist. Can't be having some messed up teeth in the profession!

 

So what's going to be on the Menu when I get home if you are having steaks and a bunch of ribs when I'm gone? Suprisingly there are very few mormon women out here who can cook really well. you'd think it would run in the Religion or something! haha there is this one member here who cooks with alcohol all of the time! it's so good! she made us this Vodka pasta a couple weeks ago and then some Marlo Chicken that was some of the best food that I have had on my entire mission. I'm sure my Palate will just be blown when I get back to the Promise land and start eating some of that divine food! Hopefully I won't get my fat back.... I was noticing the other day how small my legs have gotten and that I actually need a belt now because my waist on my pants are all too big. I remember when my Jeans that I brought with me were stylish-y tight, now they are just loose jeans haha. it's crazy. So I have been trying to bulk back up and using the dumbells that we have in almost all of the free time we get.

 

The new companion is new. He's cool. He's only been out a year on his mission and for the last nine months he has either been training or greenie breaking so he hasn't had anyone who takes control and does things differently than him so right now it seems like he is having a harder time adjusting that he had planned on. I like him though. He's quite different than all of my companions I have had by far! He is a lot like Dom Bills. Big into Musical theater and that kind of thing... so He's always doing some weird dance-ish thing and singing. Not to athletic and just about everything he is interested in I am not and have no clue about so I can't have much of a conversation with him. haha There has been a decent amount of silence because of that. Not because he is a quiet guy, but because our interests are so far different it gets somewhat hard to hold a conversation and I think he is trying to learn his role as a Zone-Leader as well. It's alright though. I'm sure it will go well and it seems that we are getting along so far. I have no beefs or see any forthcoming either. We don't have the whole ward anymore. It lasted just under a week. the sisters are moving in later this afternoon so they will have part of it. but because of that we had to take some of the east side which was ghetto and give them more of the west, so the boundaries are really quite strange if you ask me, but it works out that way I guess. We don't have any investigators. There are like two families that we try with but their commitments and priorities are else where so we can't set up appointments and when we do they usually aren't there. There is a huge amount of Less-active work here and the Bishop is getting the entire ward pumped for missionary work. The Bishop, Ward Mission leader and I spoke this last sunday on the Gathering of Israel and then the Bishop straight up told the ward that He has recieved revelation and guidance from the Lord that this ward intends to grow and that they need to be doing a lot better on inviting their friends to learn of the Gospel. With this up-coming fast sunday we are going to be starting a 40-day fast to be able to reach the ward goal of 2 baptisms a month (one per companioniship) and then a specific reason for themselves on inviting someone to learn of the gospel and Ideally meet with us.

 

I talked to Stetson. Sounds like he is doing Fairly well but his family is struggling a bit. It's been hard for them. I had a good talk though and He knows that there is divine design behind all of it and has been able to feel of our Heavenly Fathers hand More than ever in his life. It really makes me happy to see these guys that I grew up with who I never would have wanted to go on a mission find so much success and change so much. It's really cool. Such a blessing for me to see the Atonement in action.

The mission is so young now, I am the Oldest out of all of the Leaders in the mission. I have been out longer than all of them and there are only two that have been in leadership longer than I have. So it's strange. It's a maturity level that I'm not use to... as in they are not where I have been living for the last 6-7 months. We have a leadership training meeting on Thursday and a Zone-Leader council on Friday. These meetings are generally good, but sometimes can be basic as well because everyone has only been out a year or less. The council portion of our meeting is a little frustrating too because it goes in circles and often times there is no new conclusion made. It's interesting, I mean I understand how it works, The Lord gives a commandment and we struggle because we don't follow it. So, we have these "council" meetings where we talk about different things just to get back to the point of hey, Just do what we have been counseled to do! it's not working because you aren't doing what you are suppose to do. There is sometimes new revelation but oftentimes it's just that we aren't doing what we have been commanded to of the Lord. When we do it his way, it will always work. Go figure right? He created everything. ha.

 

This week should be a fast paced one for me.

 

Love ya.