January 5

Questions:
1) How did your MLC (Mission Leadership Conference?) go in Farmington?
2) What did you do on New Year's Eve?
3) How was your New Year's Day zone training?
4) How is Albert doing?  That is so cool that he's already set a baptismal date!
5) Have you been able to meet with Ferris & his wife yet?

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Mom,

1) As always, MLC went great! It's always nice to be able to see President and Sister Batt. I'll get to see them again this Friday at zone conference in Cortez. The thing that really stuck out to me as President Batt guided us in studying chapters concerning Ammon was the joy that he experiences as a missionary as discussed in Alma 26:11, 27:17-18, and 28:8. I'm trying to focus on finding that joy of missionary work daily as I go out and not only trying to stay busy and have a full day as a missionary, but have days that are full of meaningful experiences and trying to find the Lord's Will for my area. As Ammon says, to be an "instrument" in the hands of the Lord rather than merely staying busy. 

2) Nothing too crazy, we had to come in at 8 o'clock and so we came in and finished preparing for zone conference and district leader council that happened on January 1st and then drank some of the juices you sent me! 

3) It went great! It was probably the least stressful one I've had yet and it just felt good the whole way through it and there was a good council at the end of it. We had Elder Lloyd, who is going home next week back to Mesquite, NV, do a training on agency and commitments and Sister Fisi'italia from Tonga do a training on our purpose as missionaries and she did a fantastic job haha. She's a total fireball.

4) We haven't been able to see him this week! He had to go out of town for an emergency on Sunday and we stopped by a few other times and haven't caught him. 

5) Not yet, unfortunately.

This week was pretty awesome. The work is really starting to pick up here in Blanding, investigators are coming together and we have people who are prepared to hear the Gospel. Chuck, whose date was set for the 31st of January (he may not make that date), is super excited about baptism and the church and everything. He is determined to give up smoking and to work on strengthening his marriage with his wife who is a less active member. He said he's never been this excited about the church in his life and he's met with missionaries many times before! That just shows that everything is in the Lord's timing and that he truly is preparing people to receive the word as it teaches in Alma 16:16: "The Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them."

We also got to teach Ridge, who is a 15 year old non-member who is enrolled in seminary. His mom is not a member but his dad is and just became reactivated about a year or two ago after 20+ years of inactivity and he is on fire as well. He's going to the temple in February and Ridge is super interested in baptism. Also, there is a family who is just returning to church over the past year and they are adopting a young man named Jim who is about 16 years old and we asked him a month ago if he was interested in baptism or the church at all and he said no but then he came to church yesterday and he decided he wants to get baptized! He has had tough life so he sat down with his adoptive mom and wrote down all the tough things he's gone through in his life and talked it over with her then they knelt down in prayer together and he said he felt the Holy Ghost and now he knows that God is real and that the church is the right way for him! He set his own date for March 21st, so it's a little ways out but it's going to be awesome. People, members or missionaries, who say there is no work to do in Mormon towns don't have faith that God is hastening His work.

I love you all and I am excited that Jackie and Trevor are coming back and that Natalie and Nate are sticking around, I hope all goes well with those things! I'll talk to you all next week, it's transfers this week so we'll see if anything happens!

Love,
Elder SChaellin