Transcription/Audio: 3 October 2011

Hello Everybody,

I'm doing my weekly update for the week of the 26^th of September. It's kind of different, our weeks end on Sunday and the new week starts on Monday. So it's the week of the 26^th for us. We think in transfers, which are six weeks, so our weeks start on Mondays. Months have no meaning to me anymore, I mean we do monthly goals, but at the same time it's really like transfers. A transfer is like one planner, it has six weeks in a planner.

This week's been awesome. On Monday we did a little bit because it was P-day. We had dinner with the McCraken's and they make really good food. Brother McCracken is in the branch presidency and Sister McCraken – yea, she makes really good food. On Tuesday we did exchanges, and I was kind of nervous about it. I mean I did exchanges before, but this time my schedule was completely open. I had to really plan everything because I was in our area and in charge. Elder Bowes was coming into my area. I was able to pray for help and get what I needed. We were able to go visit some people.

We found a new investigator, his name is Brad. His house is in a trailer park and of all the houses there, his is the most unique. It's awesome. You go up the front door and when you turn to your left there are stairs that spiral up and go to the roof of the trailer. It has a railing and a pirate flag and makes the whole trailer look like a pirate ship. It's awesome! I wanted to knock on his door just to say, “you've got an awesome house!” So we did that, and he let us go up and see it. We got a tour of the house there, the pirate ship, haha. He's a young guy, and after that I started talking to him about the restoration and briefly shared about how the Church has been restored and that we have modern prophets today. I told him that we were going to have General Conference, and he was really interested, but he wasn't able to make it to conference because he had to work. It was very legitimate – it's not like he was trying to avoid us or anything. He did remember a few days later that he wanted to come to conference on Sunday at 1:00pm and was going to meet with us at 11:00am. Just by the fact that he remembered that shows he makes and keeps commitments, which is awesome for missionaries. So we met with him again on Sunday, October 2^nd and shared with him the first three principles of the first lesson, which ends on prophets. We gave him a Book of Mormon, and he's excited to hear more, and we are going to bring him over to the Church to watch some conference and talk more about the restoration and the gospel. I asked Brad what caught his interest and made him want to listen to us. He said it was because we were so friendly initially and that we didn't immediately just start preaching to him, but that we cared to talk to him a little first and get to know him. That really made a difference, and I told him that's exactly how it should be because our Heavenly Father loves us, and loves us individually. He cares about us and hears and answers our prayers. I told him that we cared about him, and we share this message with him because we want him to be happy. So we are excited to meet with Brad some more.

Then on Wednesday we visited a bunch of people and got to do some service for the Church. We had a little barbecue there and kind of cleaned up the outside of the Church. Friday we were able to go and do some more service for Brother Hursh. We helped him out at his place chopping wood. It was awesome, and we were way fast. He was impressed with how fast we worked. That was very fun, haha.

General Conference was amazing! I loved it. It was like drinking from a fire hose. It was all very good and very applicable – especially to missionary work. The part I loved the most was when they announced the temples, and especially the new Provo Temple. I was just thinking about temples the whole time and what they do for us. I was so thankful that my dad has taught me a lot about temples, because he's a temple worker, and just the importance of them and family history work. Even though I don't understand everything about the temple, I do know that it's important and that it has ordinances that are essential for salvation. I was just so filled with love, I was like – bawling. The Spirit was very strong when the temple was announced and all the other temples. I was just thinking about all the temples across the world.

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know that temples are the House of God. I know that this Church is true. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know that this is God's work. I am so thankful for the chance to be a missionary. I've said this before, but I see myself growing – it's incredible. It's something that I've never experienced before. Your siblings will grow and get bigger and you don't even realize it, but when you look at a picture of them later you are amazed at how much they've grown and never realized it because it happens so gradually. But on your mission, you grow so fast that you see yourself growing and progressing. It's incredible. You see the Lord changing you into a better person, more capable of things and listening to the Spirit. This has been, honestly, the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life, but also I am so thankful for the opportunity to do it. I have grown so much and learned so much. I wouldn't trade this opportunity for anything else. It's definitely been a push in the right direction. I am so thankful for the Gospel and all it's done for me. But, I just feel overwhelmed with love for my Savior and for other people. I know that He hears and answers our prayers. He's merciful and He's mighty to save, and I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.