January 30 2012

FAMILY! :)

I am glad you got my gift :)  And, even more, I am glad you liked it and that it turned out well.  I am so exhausted!  We just went hiking up Red Rock Canyon.  It was so great.  I was jumping all over the place and climbing rocks.  I felt like a kid.  But, now I am tired.

Food Report:

Monday: Broccoli and Cheese Soup in Bread Bowl

Tuesday: Prime Rib! :)

Wednesday: Taco Soup

Thursday: Chicken Casserole

Friday: Cheeseburgers

Saturday: Meatball Subs

Sunday: Lasagna

Investigator Report:

RJ: Cancelled on us twice, so we didn't get to meet with him.  We have an appointment scheduled for tonight.

D: Met with her and taught her Lesson 1.  Her family seems excited for her to be baptized.  They just have to choose a date.  The second appointment we had scheduled with her last week fell through.  Hopefully we will be able to see her this week.

C: Still haven't seen her...

S: Her husband is a less active member.  She is very bohemian-indie-spiritual type.  It's pretty funny.  She does all these interpretive dances around the room and hugs us and talks in a really soft voice and in the middle of a discussion will just start clapping her hands saying, "Yayyy! I love God!"  Soo...She is interesting.  I love her though.  She loves to have spiritual discussions and we hope to slowly get her to see the fulness of the Gospel lies in the Church.  We taught her part of the first lesson on Friday and had a BBQ with her and her husband.

A: Doesn't believe in God.  Had a good discussion with him on part of Lesson 2.  We will see what happens with him.

Weekly Summary:

Monday: P-Day!  (Went bowling, as you already know).

Tuesday: Taught my first District Meeting.  Of course an Assistant to the President and a Zone Leader both came to my first District Meeting.  It went well...kind of.  I hope tomorrow's goes better.  Tracting and visits.

Wednesday: Tracting and visits.  Taught D.  Taught Es (recent convert) and E (less active).

Thursday: Interviews with President B.  The interview went really well.  I love President B.  He is such a great leader.  It was good to have some one-on-one time with her.  We both couldn't believe I had already been out for 6 months.  President B also talked to me about Todd.  He said that Todd was just made a bishop!  He said to make sure I let my family know.  I am glad President B knows what is going on with my family even before I do.  Taught A.

Friday: Tracting and visits.  Taught S.

Saturday: I fulfilled part of my District Leader duties and went on all-day Splits with Elder L in his area.  It was so nice to be in a car for a day.

Sunday: Stake Conference.  Elder Craig Christensen of the Seventy came and gave a great talk.  Read 1 Nephi 10 with the R family (recent convert).

Funny Stories:

1) While tracting, I knocked on a door.  While we were waiting Elder P and I were joking around and he was imitating me saying, "This is what you do for fun."  He opened his scriptures and started flipping through them saying, "Cross-reference, cross-reference, cross-reference..."  A man opened the door as he was saying that and we just started laughing.  It turns out that the man didn't speak English.  I gave my version of a Spanish invitation.  The man just stood there with his mouth open, looking at me, and not saying a word.  It lasted about 30 seconds.  I ended up just bursting out laughing.  I couldn't hold it in.

2) The very next door we knocked, this little girl answered.  She started stumbling over her words.  She said, "Hi...Oh...I'm ugh...I'm ugh...I'm al..."  Elder P cuts her off and says in a deep voice, "You're alone?"  The girl timidly replies, "Yes..."  I think Elder P totally freaked her out.  It was so funny and sad all at the same time.

3) After teaching Erika, she said to us, "Oh, the President is in town."  I started thinking, "President T (our stake president)?" "President B?"  She could tell I was confused.  She said, "The President of the United States."  I had totally forgot about that President.  But yes, President Obama was in Las Vegas.  They closed down the 215 and he stayed in a hotel only about 5 miles from where I am living.

4) While out and about, I said to Elder P, "Let's go through the Unbaptized Children List."  We take out the list and over half of the Unbaptized CHILDREN are over 40 years old.  It was so funny.  The Church should fix that.

5) While at S's for the BBQ, she had friends over.  Well, her friends invited some of their friends.  Those friends came and S said, "Would you like a glass of water?"  They said, "No, we brought beer."  I immediately said, "Well, we better get going." And so we left.  It was funny.

Spiritual Thought:

God loves you.  People sometimes ask the question, "Why does God love me?"  It doesn't matter a bit.  It does not matter why God loves you.  All that matters is that you know that your Father in Heaven has an infinite, perfect, and unconditional love for you.  Elder Hartman Rector, Jr. said, "God doesn't love us because we are good.  God loves us because he is good. God is good and so he loves us, and those who are the best love the best," ("God Loves Us," 1969).  So, just KNOW that God loves you.

Well, I love you!  Keep sending me mail because I love hearing from you!

Love,

Elder Sean Edwards