You'll Be Dead At Any Moment

My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.
Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.
          --Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-9

Tuesday, February 17, 2015 9:11 PM

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

You are probably noting the time of email and are probably wondering why I am emailing at this time of all times. Yes, I know. I rather be working. With all of the latest developments, I have been striving companionship unity in the things that I do. Last night, I talked to my companion about resolving our issues peacefully for I have felt that there is a bit of resentment that we have towards each other. I am not angry at him, but I am trying all that I can to help him and show my care and love. He told me that he was tired of making all the decisions (Is that why he sleeps much of the day away?) and doing all the talking for lessons and tracting. Yes, it may be true that he talks more, but I never considered it to be a problem. I have had little chance to talk in lessons with many of my other companions and I learned to listen more than talk. When I teach, I talk to the point. I have no need for elaboration. He feels he makes the decisions for when we get in the car, we usually do what he has in mind. When he asks me what I want to do, I say either, I do not know, potentials, or tracting (for those are the only options that I foresee that we have). So, yes, that is all true. I told him that planning would be beneficial for me, because then I would know what we are talking about, what has been taught, and other things. He simply stated that he does not want to plan; rather, he just goes to the lesson and just goes with, in my perspective, whatever. If we plan, he'll just agree and plan. Now, from this talk that we had, we reached no conclusions, no compromises of any kind. However, I am willing to talk more if he will in exchange plan with me with full input. This provides the benefit for me to be able to have the opportunity to grow, to move the work along, and to foster companionship unity. I have yet to make the deal, so that is in part why I am here, probably because he believes that I will say one of the three options that I usually say.

Yet, the odd thing is, when I made the decisions yesterday, I met resistance. Seeing as the cars were grounded due to the snow, I decided we would walk to an investigator's house four miles away and from there, we would go to the church to weekly plan. He was not thrilled to walk (big surprise there) and thought it good to try to get a ride. That was a good idea and I asked him to try to do that while we walked. He did not. We did not weekly plan, because our dinner cancelled. When we arrived at the church, there were members of whom we hitched a ride to one of their houses, particularly the wife of Brother Anderson of the mission presidency. When we arrived home, I was bit upset, so I needed to cool off before I even thought of approaching my companion.

I will explain these things and more this email.

Monday, after P-day, around 5:50, my companion asks if we can play chess. I declined on the simple basis that he needed to get ready, so we could go out before dinner at seven. Well, we did not leave the house until about dinner time. We went to the recent convert and returning members house for dinner. It was a nice, enjoyable dinner. 

Tuesday, I got up, did my usual routine, and hope that he gets up. I called dinner at noon and set up a time. One o'clock rolls around. He is still not up. Okay, turn on the lights, tell him to wake up. Two hours later, he is still not up. He has not said anything to me. Finally, he gets up and asks for the phone. He needs to cancel dinner, because he is sick. So, nothing got done Tuesday. 

Wednesday rolls around. Okay, as far as I know he is sick. I called some missionaries, because I needed a blessing. These were not the zone leaders, but some fellow missionaries. I should make mention that I know of three companionships (one being the Zone Leaders) that know of the sleeping in. From these missionaries, I got the blessing. I felt that I needed to focus on the area, trying to help it. I have a purpose and I am going to fulfill it. I regained that energy and zeal to go forward. 

I called the zone leaders to get help. They came to our apartment and gave them the short of everything. Well, I love our zone leaders, but they can be a bit crazy. What did the zone leaders do? Wake up my companion and had him quickly get dressed. They asked me who in the ward could he stay with; I suggested one person, we tried to verify if it was okay, but there is no male, which is a "no go." Okay, so we call all that I can think of. We call the ward mission leader for suggestions. He has none, but will inform the ward council for suggestions; later, we get back, that without permission from the mission president, we cannot separate, plus nobody has any idea. (But, I am thinking to myself now, wait, what about splits?) At this point, I have no idea who to call and was about to give up all hopes. Finally, we found a place from another member in another ward. We get there and drop my companion off... until, of course, when we get there, my companion is "feeling better." ("No, you're not, you'll be dead at any moment.")

Later, the zone leaders returned us to our apartment. Our dinner for the night was dropped off. My companion received a blessing from the zone leaders. That night, my companion asked me what we should do. Well, we were invited that day to go out to Goochland to a member's house to do "Bible Study." We have been invited by the bishop and now the member himself. I decided that we could do that or we could go tracting in attempts to get feedback. We went to the Bible Study in the end. It was good, because there are less actives at this study. We are reading from the Book of Mormon and had a small discussion. I was asked if living the gospel was easy. I said yes, which I know it is hard. Believe me, I am going through this rough situation where I am fighting like a dragon to go forward. What I meant to say and what I failed to say was that it is difficult for us, but as Paul stated, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." By relying on Christ, it does not make things necessarily easier, but bearable where our burdens do indeed become light.

Now, I was also able to discern what is going on with Goochland by their comments. Goochland does not like Gayton (a congregation), or at least a lot of the less active or semi active members do no like Gayton. They feel unwelcome. They wish they had their own branch (a smaller congregation). I do not take these comments lightly, because it is an issue that I cannot solve. Yet I can bring it up to the bishop, hopefully not to burden the bishop even further, but to gain ideas to help Goochland ( a place near Richmond, VA).

Thursday, we were able to volunteer at the health center where "Mama" is. Before bingo, the activity we help with, we were able to see "Mama" and check up on her. We came back after bingo to pray with her. Bingo was fun and better than last time. I was unsure really what to do, but this time, I really helped out, which made me happy. We, that night, checked on our nine year old investigator and his recent convert family members. We were able to have a lesson with him, reading the Book of Mormon with a chapter about baptism. 

Friday, we were able to see the two women, who are recent converts, whose house is dimly lit and talked more from the Book of Mormon. We read Alma 7, which it was good to read to remember Jesus Christ and to know that I am not alone. We tried some other people that night, but it did not work out. We even tried to contact our South African investigator, but it was not a good time. 

Saturday, we worked on the progress record. We had a lesson with a man whom we met previously and he is officially a new investigator. He goes strictly by the Bible, because he feels it is the source to know and discern truth. He still is not sure how the Book of Mormon fits in with certain things. However, by the end of the lesson, he asked for a Book of Mormon. I see good coming from this. We had a late dinner with some members. In the midst of it, the wind picked up and we got a light dusting of snow. And so the beginning of the snow began. 

Sunday, it was a freezing cold day. I could see my breath in the car. It was awful, because I did not dress too warmly. I figured I would be warm in the church. Thank goodness the church was warm. There is a member in the ward that, in some sense, is a recent move in, though I am not sure how recently he moved in. I know this member from Powhatan and it is so great to see him. He is mentally handicapped. I knew his parents and his brother (who is also mentally handicapped). I decided on Sundays that I would watch out for him and try to be of help. I am going to make sure that he feels welcome and that I say hello to him.

We had a lesson that night with a part member family. We met this man once and I thought we had a good lesson. He is open religiously and is trying to understand things. He searches many sources and agrees with what we teach. It is a matter for us to help see that there is a source of truth to know the things he is trying to understand.

Monday, we tried to see a potential, then returned to the house, because he, as I found, "was tired of making all the decisions." We had a brief argument on what would I would want to do; I insisted that it is not matter of what I want to do, but what we need to do. Somehow, he did not understand, so I decided that we would again see the nine year old investigator. We did try stopping by on Sunday, but we were told to try again the next day. By this point, it started to snow. Cars are grounded. That is when I decided we would make the trek of four miles or so to this person's place.

I did not know where I was going and I thought we established the fact that we were going there. He did not lead, so in the beginning, we went the wrong way until I had to reaffirm our plans. He suggested that we call a member to get a ride. "Alright," I said, "you do that and instead of sitting here, we will move ahead." We walked and I stopped at intersections to ensure I was going the right way. I asked if he called anybody, but he said, "I could not think of anyone." Well, we trekked forward. We made it to the place and I made the joke that "This is the place." (You know, Brigham Young and Utah.) He didn't laugh nor did he get the reference. We had our lesson on again baptism with the nine year old.

From there, I decided we would go to the church to plan. He asked about dinner, so I said ask our dinner appointment for their address and we would walk there. He didn't, but instead asked for a ride. Because of the snow and potential bad road conditions, dinner cancelled. We trekked to the church; he walked way ahead of me, so I sang while I walked. He got there quite a bit before me... and there were members there. So, we got there. A member was there and we hitched a ride to their house. They ended up giving us dinner and a ride home.

I was a bit upset and I needed to cool down, so nothing else got done that day. I was upset, because I did not understand his attitude towards me nor his resentment. That night we had our talk, which ended in the middle. I plan to finish it tonight with that deal. I pray that it will go well. It had upset me, because I never thought it was a problem. I do not know why he waited to say anything. That upset me.

It bothered me. I even woke during the night and began to think about it before I forced myself to fall back asleep. I did realize that there is a great opportunity out of this for me to grow (by gaining the ability of small talk), companionship unity can be fostered, and the work can move along.

Tout va bien!

Love,

Elder S. Todd

As They Walked and Walked and Walked . . .

Monday,  January 27, 2014

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

Thanks for the those crime stories. (Two young girls were kidnapped from a meetinghouse in this area, molested, and left stranded, Also, near Seth's home town, a bishop was shot and killed in the meetinghouse. Surely there were pictures of Jesus on the walls.of both buildings) I honestly could use them. Why? Well, it turns out that I am the only one that likes the door locked as well as the windows. It frustrates them, but it frustrates me even more that they do not realize how un-invincible they are. I keep on locking the door, especially when it is night and when we leave. They can deal with it for all that I care. Why? Like you pointed out, a picture of Jesus is not going to do anything. And it keeps us safe and the house protected. Criminals, unless they are really after our stuff, are not going to break a window or bust down a locked door, because they do not want to get caught. But, I can only point out facts and do wish I could share some more facts on safety. But, that is that. I am stubborn, a little bull-headed at times, but I know when something is right. I am hanging in there.

I am glad to hear that you received my testimony of Jesus Christ. I still have to send some out to other family members. For Christmas, in Fredericksburg, I used a copy of my testimony plus a plate of cookies and sweets to give to certain members. It was nice to give that to them. 

I am also glad you understand about my views of criminal justice. I have been warned by people, especially you two, about the risks of the job and, by my companion, the risks of psychology. To me, I am, as I am realizing, about law, justice, order, and mercy. I know what God wants me to do in life as in career. I know who God wants me to be. I will listen to what people have to say, but I will always have to remember what God wants me to do. And you mentioned conversion. For the nearly 7 months I have been out, I have been trying to focus on the people and how to help them. But, in a way, with my studies and with what I have been learning, I honestly having been learning about- forgive me, Dad- being converted and consecrating myself to God. I am accepting what God wants me to do, but some areas I could improve. Such is life and I have the next fleeting 17 months to learn some more. I may not change my interests, but I think my character will change. I honestly feel as though the first six months were battles against the adversary and what I am now expecting for who knows how long (well, except God) that my character will be tried.

This week was ouch. Yeah, we had snow, but it was downhill from there. I am keeping optimistic and keep on improving. At times in life, we have those weeks that are seriously downhill. This is definitely one of those weeks. The back tire on my bike is flat again and I basically said to my companion, "I will get a new tube." So, today, I get to buy myself a tube as well as a much needed crescent wrench in order to get the back wheel off. I am just hoping my bike does not need a special tube, which I do not think it does. We will see. I am only hoping, because my companion currently hates my bike and is tired of walking. First few days, walking in the snow, yeah, it was rough, but I got used to it. I know he will not be happy if I have to order a tube. 

When it snowed, it was great, because for a few hours, we got snow shovels and shoveled people's driveways. (Oh, the life of a missionary!) It was mostly in secret. Mostly. Some people came out and said thanks. Or they wanted to pay us, which we refused. Sometimes, we helped someone that was doing their driveway. One of them wanted to take us to the recruiter's office. It was so much fun to do that. 

We have been tracting a lot. Appointments have fallen through due to illnesses and such. To top off our week, two investigators dropped us. One due to disinterest, though he was honestly seeking a church and God. Another due to her boyfriend who caused havoc for her when she talked about the Mormons. It was probably best for her to drop us, because she does not work and she has a child with him.

And then, as we were tracting, we got a call to help someone from one of the members. These members are honestly kind and I really like them. But, it was a waste of time. They let us in, fed us, and, oh, we were not needed. Still, I do thank them for their kindness. 

Oh and one of my pockets on one of my shirts nearly fell off. It was my only shirt for today, so I spent time sewing it. It went okay. My stitiching or whatever looks okay, but, uh, the white thread is apparently magical. I used the sewing kit that I got from home and used- and I know I did use it- white thread. Well, it magically turned pink on my shirt, so I have a pink string that slightly bled. Time to do laundry.

Also, we had interviews with President Wilson this past weekend. My interview was short, but he told me something that put a dent in my New Testament study. I cannot use the institute manual, not even for reference. (Even though the manual is published by the church, the reading material is restricted to what they are called to teach.) Now, mind you, I do not have the manual, but I was looking at it online for the scriptural references to put everything in chronological order. Well, no more. I definitely cannot infringe on people's agency who say things, "Oh, did you read about such and such event in Christ's life found in such and such gospel and also this gospel, in these chapters and verses? Also, then Christ did this, in such and such gospels, chapter, and verses," and I definitely do not know where they got such material. Now, I do understand there is the harmony of the gospels, but I am having a hard time correlating it with how far in my study I am in and I cannot just undo what I have done. Something is not matching up and I got so far as the marriage in Cana and a bit after that. So, I am a bit stuck there and I cannot progress. (As his dad, I will help him in my letters as my letters are not restricted.)

No word on the iPads that so many people are waiting for here. I bring up, because my companion told me that a girl he knows that is serving in Arizona has iPads and they are strictly iPads which means no paper scriptures at all; especially, for personal study. I hope that does not happen here, because then that will not be fun, especially with how much effort I have put into my paper scriptures. Who knows? I will wait for that time. (I doubt that he will have to forfeit his paper scriptures as some people do not take to reading electronic devices.)

Plus, have you watched the Bible Videos, the Life of Jesus Christ? They are so amazing. I recommend them, plus they chose a really good person to portray the Savior. I hope they keep on producing them. I especially like the Resurrected Jesus, because they did so excellent. My companion keeps on saying that this Jesus is better than the Finding Faith in Christ, Jesus. But, I really think they did an excellent job. (www.mormonchannel.org)

All is well.

Love,

Elder S. Todd

Transferred to Woodbridge, Greeted with Snow, A New Future

January, 7, 2014 

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

Happy New Year! So, I have gone north indeed. I am in Woodbridge in the Prince William Ward (congregation). In other words, I moved one stake up (a stake is a group of congregations in a geographical area that serve together, an analogy would be the stakes of a tent). There are many good things that I see here. The members are willing to help us out, especially on giving us rides. There are kind members here. Plus, what is really ironic to me is the fact that some names here are some of the names I dealt with back in Fredericksburg. My new address is 5486 Rector Drive, Woodbridge, VA 22193. (Have some fun and use the satellite google map).

Well, the last week wasn't so good. Things were not going right in the end, but I did feel as though I finished my work in the White Oak Ward. I was able to say goodbye to people. I am glad that I was able to serve there and now I am glad I can serve here. There were special goodbye moments. I got to have a family home evening with a family and that was not on purpose. We had dropped by and they welcomes us in. It was great to be there. 

Transfers were hectic, but I now know where I am at. When I got here in Woodbridge, it snowed and things began to freeze. So, I was not able to bike for a while in part for that reason. I went walking and nearly a dozen times I almost fell and slipped. Only one time I did, but my bag cushioned the fall. We are having a lot more dinners here. We had dinner with a Ukrainian family, which to me was exciting. The husband was once Jewish, but he is now Mormon. So, I learned some Hebrew (I learned how to say river of water), though I have to work on pronouncing it. I am excited. Plus, for the new year, Sister Wilson (the mission president's wife) is putting forth what she is calling, "Fit for the Kingdom." In other words, she is putting on a mission-wide program to help us be fit. So, we earn points for working out, which goes to the zone and the zone that has the most points earns an extra Zone P-day. That, of course, does not mean I get an extra P-day. We got weighed. Now, I know I weighed 148 pounds before I left and while I was in Fredericksburg. The last time I weighed myself was probably in August of 2013. So, I have lost eight pounds if my memory serves me right. So, now I am at 140 pounds. It does not make sense to me, but it has happened.

When we were packing the trailer for the luggage and bikes. They took off my tire and for whatever reason, they unhooked the front brake. That took a while to fix.

With this new program and with the new year, I decided to wake up even earlier to do two things: (a) work out physically and (b) spiritually and mentally work out. I decided to do that to (a) be fit, (b) know scriptures, and (c) improve memory. Plus, I looked at the Word of Wisdom (the health revelation which mirrors a lot of what we know we should be eating and avoiding) again and made notes of a few things. Eat more vegetables, eat more fruit, eat grains, etc. What this means for me is that I am going to improve my health even more. It does not mean that I am going to be a vegetarian. I will still eat meat. I am limiting sweets and snacks, which means the time I will have dessert of any kind or anything like it will be at a member's house. That will be until the end of my mission when I go extremely cold turkey. I am keeping my health up.

My companion is Elder Frank from Colorado Springs, Colarado. We have been getting along fairly well. I am happy that to have another companion that likes Avatar. Just saying. . . So, he is a nice elder. He has only been here in the ward for one transfer, or six weeks. The weather went from snowing to the 60s, back down to a bizarre 16 degrees. In other words, it is cold. This entire zone is on bike, except the sisters and the zone leaders. I am living in a house with another set of missionaries. I make sure that the doors are locked, but it seems as though I am the only one that has studied serial killers and criminals and knows about safety. Just saying once again In a very sarcastic manner it's what I know can happen in this day and age. Next weekly planning session with Elder Frank I am going to mention our safety.

I am slowly adjusting to a bike. I think I will be here a while. I am excited to be here, even though there are hills that I have to bike. Next step in learning begins here.

Also, I want to wish you Merry Christmas! Today is Russian Christmas and I am happy to wish you a Merry Russian Christmas. The reason why it is Christmas is the fact that there, due to the split in the Catholic Church with the Eastern Orthodox, when the new Gregorian calendar came out, it took a while for the Eastern Orthodox to accept it. Something like that. So, they are two weeks behind.

All is well.

Love, 

Elder S. Todd

December 31, 2013

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

The verdict is in. I am leaving White Oak, which is highly sad. There are a lot of good members here and it is hard to let them go. Plus, my first convert is here as well. It has been hard. I just knew on Sunday that I was going, despite how much I was hoping to stay. These last few days here will be saying good bye. Sunday, I said good bye to some people, especially the people that I was with when I got the phone call. Monday, was in part a nightmare. To be perfectly honest, we tried to repair my bike. We got the tire repair kit and repaired the tire, but putting it back together was a bit challenging. It ended up where something was off, which turned to be a washer in the wrong spot. 

I am really trying hard to say good bye to certain members, because I cannot say good bye to all. I am still working as well, so it is trying to balance it all. I had two good lessons yesterday as well. (Plus, I got a hair cut.) I joined someone's family home evening (this is a night where a family gathers together to have a spiritual lesson and some family fun), which was nice. Tonight, I get to say good bye to more people and the Lord's convert. Man, this is what I get for having a companion who is cursed. His companions stay with him for only one or two transfers. Oh well. 18 more months await.

Also, with yesterday, my bike lock fell on my foot and I thought I had broken it. Nope. At least, it just was bruised. And all I know about transfers is that I am going to a biking area. So, I know, I know, lock up my bike, know the serial number, be cautious, be safe. I know. Sorry to hear about Dad's finger (his dad was holding a dog biscuit bone and letting his dog take small bites until there was a small piece and one of the dog's canine teeth split his finger nail and caused him to bleed). My dog just wanted that piece plus protein. I was so happy that I was able to see her and that she still remembers me.(While using Skype on the internet we had his dog with us and when he would call her name she'd look at those speakers wondering what was going on.)  Day completed.

Christmas was great. I had a nice talk with the Hairs. I should tell you. When my trainer was being moved, they got us Subway as dinner. Brother Hair was surprised that I liked spicy food and was the one that got the spicy sandwich to which I said I am half Mexican. That took them by surprised. So, when we had another dinner with them (this time with Elder Longman), we had some Mexican food. Sister Hair told me, "I hope you like them. I know they won't be authentic." They tease me about it in good fun. 

But, Christmas. It was nice to talk to my sister. The connection was off, so she had a very deeper voice that slowly turned to the familiar Bria voice. And it was nice to talk to Grandma and Grandpa. Then, we went to the next person's house. We had technical difficulties with my companion's Skyping session, so we stayed a bit long. I got to spend time with their son, who is a senior in high school. He showed me his new pellet gun with which we had some fun. They have a pool, to which squirrels like to die in and they come back up frozen. One time, their son took such squirrel and hung up on a tree to see what would happen. On Christmas, we decided to go check up on it and it was gone. 

Then, we went to another family's house for dinner. It was fun; good to talk to them. Then, we went to the landlord and stopped by for a short time before we went back to the second home of the day. At that time, when we went back to the second house, the sisters were there, taking their turn. One of them was very loud and she was in the basement talking. They closed the door to give her more privacy, but she was still heard.

I had a unbeknownst last meal with a family on Thursday; it would be my last meal with the family. The wife is an awesome woman and can cook wonderful meals. I had some good conversations and scripture reading at that house. It was great to unknowningly have a last meal with them. I am happy that I will be able to say good bye. The past week we have been making cookie deliveries, which has been fun. We ended up staying longer than we had planned, which was great and awesome. Oh, the sister missionaries here got a brand new car, which my companion is so jealous about it while I could care less (yeah, 'cause he's leaving to a biking area). Well, on Sunday, we got a call from them, as my companion is the district leader, saying that they will be going home late for their car was stuck in the mud and they had to be towed out. My companion and I had went to help... to no avail. So, tow truck gets there and pulls them out. Then, the tow truck started to get stuck. It was hilarious, but it worked out. The tow truck was able to get out and the sisters were able to get home, finally.

And the third hour on Sunday went well. It was the last thing I could do for the entire ward . The last hurrah. It was about the Elder Sitati mission conference that we had a month and a half ago. People were excited for mission work... and I am being transferred. So be it.

All is well.

Love,

Elder S. Todd

December 23, 2013

Dear Parents, Mom and Dad/Dad and Mom,

Happy non-P-day! Our P-day is on Tuesday, but we are allowed to email.

Please do ask the mission president if at all possible for me to call Bria and Grandma.

Well, I wanted to wish you a happy spring here in Virginia. Why? The weather is whack! It turned to 70 degrees this past weekend and oh, it decided to rain. Earlier, as I had previously told you, we had an ice storm. I am not so sure about this weather. I was quite honestly expecting cold. And I was dreaming of a white Christmas. Not so sure now.

So, you are also doing fifth Sunday. Same here with the same topic (Member Missionary Work), although a different thing. I told you of the Elder Sitati mission conference we had. We are condensing that mission conference and what we did to 45 minutes. It will not be anything spectacular, but it will definitely be something to help the members. It will be exciting. 

I am starting to realize that I am OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) with time, or at least I am obsessive about time and am really sensitive to it.. In several cases, this past week when we went over time, I could tell and I start to get tied up. My companion is relaxed with time, albeit he is a good companion. But, we, well, ended up an hour late to a dinner appointment, which the person was totally fine with us being late. It was good thing we were late, because we found a new investigator and put her on a baptismal date. At the same time, we were extremely late and I was trying to tell my companion. Of course, I will give him the benefit, although I did tell him what time we had our dinner appointment.. 


Also, I am annoyed with last minute drops. For mission conference, we had an issue with our ride. One member called us and asked if we needed a ride, to which I confidently said, "Oh, we have a ride from this member." To which the member who called us told me, "The person who was going to give you a ride cannot and that is why I am calling." And that was the night before the conference.  We were able to find a ride, thankfully. Then, we were needed for service in unloading the bishop's storehouse (this is a building where food and other supplies are kept for the needy, it is not a Thrift Store) and where we were unloading was outside of our ward boundaries. We got a call at 10:20 before the day that we were supposed to help out and were told that we could not unless it was an emergency made by the bishop. Now, I respect my leaders and do enjoy their counsel, but I do like warning. We were able to help out, much to the relief of the Relief Society President (Relief Society is an charitable organization for women in each congregation) in our ward. But, yeah, I am starting to notice that I have issues.

The last paragraph really summed up most of my week. The only thing really left is the mission conference that we had for Christmas. There were a lot, a lot of musical numbers, but many spiritual thoughts. It was good to see some of the old district members of the MTC. I also ran into my trainer, Elder Meibos, and he asked me many, many questions about the area. It was quite enjoyable.

So, this week is going to be an interesting one. It is the time of the holidays. I will think positively and hopefully, people and members will let us in. Hey, at least Christmas and Christmas Eve are busy.

Cannot wait to talk (using Skype for a video phone call on Christmas). All is well!

Love,

Elder S. Todd