Chapter 55

That's so awesome that Joy got baptized!!!  And wow, that's super cool that Elder DeYoung was able to come back for the baptism XD.  So to answer your question, we are not having transfers a week early, they just made this transfer 7 weeks long, instead of 6, to compensate for the last transfer being only 5 weeks.  So transfer for us are going to be on february 6th XD.  I seriously really really really really really really really really hope that i get to stay in Ririe :(.  I love this area sooooo much and i really don't want to leave hahaha.

So that's pretty awesome that Brady is about to go to the MTC.  He is going to be such an awesome missionary. XD.  But man it's wierd to think that so many of the youth, well, i guess they are no longer youth, are getting mission calls!  And speaking of mission calls, I CAN"T BELIEVE HALEY GOT A MISSION CALL TO JAPAN!!!!!!!!!  Tell her to enjoy sushi for me because i miss sushi soooo much hahahaha XD.  It's getting to the point that i might give in and go try a sushi place in Idaho :O hahahaha.  And that's even more exciting to hear that Villi is about to start his papers!!!! K, so on sunday you have to go up to Villi for me and give him a high five and tell him that i am super happy that he is going to start his papers XD.  Oh, and that my prediction for him is that he is going to get sent to the Pocatello Idaho Mission XD. 

Last week i told you that we found 2 new families to start teaching.  Well, i am super happy to report that we were able to teach one of the families (who is a family that has just started coming back to church in the last month XD) for the first time yesterday and their daughter (who is 9 and isn't baptized) accepted our invitation to be baptized and now has a baptismal goal to be baptized on february 16th! XD.  We now have 3 investigators that have committed to being baptized! WOOT! XD  They are an amazing family too! They really want to draw closer as a family and they know that by coming back to church and having their daughter get baptized will help them achieve this goal! XD.  Unfortunately, the other family that we were going to start teaching this week (the wife is a member but the husband isn't) had to reschedule this week because the husband was in a small car accident.  He is fine and everything, but he is a little sore and tired from it so they rescheduled to this week.  But they both came to church on sunday and he expressed that he is still looking forward to our visit this week XD.   Things are really going great for us here in Ririe right now and next week is lined up to be even better!

Well, that's all i have to report on this week so i am going to end this email here. XD.  Peace out and love you guys! XD.

Chapter 54

Yaaaaaaa so everyone in cali pretty much doesn't have any room to complain about the cold because it is wayyyyy colder here hahahaha.  Last night it got down to -17, which is just a littler colder than your 50 degree weather hahaha XD.  But you know what, something wierd must be happening to me because i am actually getting used to the cold and it's not bothering me anymore like it used to back in cali :O hahaha.  So that's super cool that Braden finished his Eagle project.  But ya i could of sworn that he already had done one, but i guess that was parker hahaha.  And that's awesome to hear that Joy is doing great! XD I will definitely pray for her this next week XD.  But i had no clue that she wasn't a member :O.

So things are pretty much going AWESOMELY right now for us! XD.  This last week, 2 of our investigators committed to being baptized and both are super solid and are dedicated to their goals of becoming baptized! XD.  But our good news doesn't stop there XD.  We also were able to pick up 2 more people to start teaching and the best part is both contacted us asking for the missionary discussions! XD.  I seriously love Ririe man.  The work here is wonderful, the people here are amazing, and the members here are so helpful and supportive of us which definitely helps out a ton in our work because when the members get involved is when the most success is seen XD. 

Well, that's all i have to really report on this week so i am going to end this email here.  Love you and can't wait to write you next week and tell you what's been going on XD.

With love,
Elder ---chis--->

Chapter 53

So it pretty much has been really cold here lately, Like there are nights where it's below zero, but you know i honestly am getting used to it and it doesn't bother me much anymore XD.  All you do is just wear more layers and you are good XD.  So from what i heard from bunker it sounds like Villi is about to send in his papers.  That's super awesome man! XD.  He should get sent to the Idaho Pocatello Mission because it's the best mission ever XD.  So has Kavika started his papers yet?  If not tell that punk for me to get on the ball and do it XD hahaha.

So this week was a really good week for us in Ririe.  To start it off we got to watch movies on monday for new years eve XD.  Again, the rules were they had to be g rated or from the approved pg list, so we watched Brave and Tangled.  That was cool to watch Brave because i hadn't seen it yet, since it came out on my mission, and it was a good movie XD.  I kinda wish they had done a few things differently in the story line but all around it was a good movie XD.  And of course we all knew Tangled was a good movie so we were happy to watch that one too XD. 

But another cool thing that happened this week was we had a baptism on saturday! XD.  It was for this 8 year old that we have been working with for awhile now, whose family is less-active but wants their son to be baptized, and it was a super cool experience to have.  I got to perform the baptism (2nd one in my life now XD) and man it's the coolest feeling to baptize someone because you are the one helping them perform the ordinance to become cleansed of all there sins XD.  BAPTISM ROCKS!!! XD.  Well, other than that it has been a pretty slow week for us in Ririe, due to the holiday seasons finishing up and no one being home, so i am going to end this email here.  Love you and have an awesome new year! XD

With love,

Elder ---chis--->

Chapter 52

So this week was pretty much an amazing week XD.  First off, i got to start off the week having an awesome all day p-day on monday where we spent christmas eve with this family here (the Call Family) and we did a talent show kinda thing to share our wonderful gifts that our heavenly father has given us with each other XD.  It was a ton of fun and to top off the night they gave us each pajamas XD.  So i got to continue my christmas eve tradition of getting pajamas every christmas eve even on my mission hahaha XD. 

The next day, as you already know since you kinda were on the other end of it, I GOT TO SKYPE HOME!!!!!!! So after i finished skyping we went over to our ward mission leaders house (Brother Jose, who is super awesome XD) and we had lunch with his family.  We then played some games until it was time to do the white elephant gift exchange and i definately got the best gift from it that you could get as a missionary.  So the way we did it is everyone took turns rolling dice, and if you got doubles you got to pick a gift from the middle pile and open it, or you had the choice of stealing a gift from someone else instead.  So i don't remember whose turn it was, but someone rolled doubles and opened up a gift and it ended up being toilet paper and a thing of chex mix.  And when i saw her open up toilet paper it made me realize that, "crud, we just ran out of toilet paper today!!!!" So when i finally rolled doubles i stole the toilet paper so we could have some in our apartment hahaha XD.  like i said, perfect gift for a missionary hahaha XD.  However, the excitement doesn't end here. 

WE HAD A BAPTISM ON SATURDAY!!!! WOOOOOOTTT!!!  XD XD XD XD.  It was such an awesome experience.  So to give a little background the person that got baptized is this 9 year old girl named Tiva and we have been teaching her for about 2 months or so.  None of her family are members of the church, but they are super supportive of her joining the church and encourage it XD.  So we were over at our ward mission leaders house, Brother Jose (and more background info: Brother Jose is Tiva's neighbor so we have been teaching them in brother jose's home), after church on sunday eatting lunch with him and his family when Tiva's dad, Jorden, comes over and asks us if he could get baptized as well and if Brother Jose could do it!!!!!!  So we are now helping him prepare to be baptized and hopefully he gets baptized sometime in January!!!!! I seriously love being a missionary.  Watching the change that comes into people's lives as they experience the feeling of the Holy Ghost in their lives and the desire it creates in them to become better people and draw closer to their savior is such an amazing experience to have XD.  THIS GOSPEL ROCKS MAN!!! XD XD XD XD.

Well, that's all i have to write on this week so peace out till next week!!!!!

With love,
Elder ---chis--->

Chapter 51

I can't believe that it is already christmas eve and that i get to skype home again tomorrow! XD.  It's going to be sooooo wierd having david there being the one who is home and i am the one on a mission hahaha XD. 

But i can't wait to do the skype call XD.  Oh, so i guess you probably need the times of when i am going to be calling XD.  So i will probably skype you around 1:30 and my dad around 2:20 tomorrow.  AHHHH i can't believe it's already time to skype home hahaha.  And another wierd thing to think about is i am about to hit my year mark.....Man the mission goes by soooooo fast XD.  Wellll.....I am pretty much going to end this email here because i don't want to tell you everything right now and then not have anything to tell you tomorrow when i SKYPE you XD.  Merry Christmas and i will send some awesome pictures XD.