Twas the week before Christmas....

Things are well here in the Yuma/Wray area.  The mission Christmas devotional was great.  We sang lots of Christmas songs that were the ones nobody sings on Christmas.  We didn't even approach silent night or hark the herald angels sing.  People are so weird when they want to do the not-so-popular songs.  It snowed a ton last night and I have adapted to the cold and am now a native by all standards.  AS far as food, some weeks we have to provide for ourselves when dinner comes around and we usually just have Pb and J's or ramen or a can of soup.  Difference is nice even if it’s not too much better.  The Spanish is coming along.  I speak it quite often.  It’s about half and half.  I could always learn more though.  I feel like because I speak it so often things are starting to become natural.  I will say things without thinking about it, and pleasantries are way more normal.  I am always getting compliments on my Spanish even though sometimes its like a backhanded compliment because they will say, "your Spanish is good for a white person" little do they know I am Hispanic.  Its okay, it gives me confidence because I’m never sure if my Spanish is good or bad.  Not much new on insights in the mission life.  Just living in the cold and trying to survive.  The members are sweet here too but there are less of them and so it’s not as fun.  My comp and I bless sacrament almost every week because they have only two young men, yet they seem to have almost 12 young women.  Quite the difference if you ask me.  I heard their latest activity was eating taquitos and watching GI Joe.  Fun for them I guess.  In better news I made my first snowman in over 10 years.  I think we attempted one in Ruidoso once but it wasn't even that impressive.  I built it with a little girl after dinner at a member’s house.  She took the picture so don't blame the photography skills on me.  I am very proud of that snowman.  Almost like a father’s kind of pride.  This week we invited three people to be baptized, they all said yes but they need to sort some things first.  The work is progressing and all is well. Have a good week.

That was yesterday, it was snowing so hard it blocked out the sun.

My first snowman in 10 years! 

My hair is frozen that way

Week 15

The work is great. I was honored when I was asked to go to this area because I worked hard and they needed help bringing this area back to life. We have been doing well, we taught 14 investigators this week and four of those are progressing. Also ten of those investigators don't speak English. We are doing better with the language as well.  Hopefully Kristina is safe and preaching the gospel. When we help others it makes us more comfortable in troubling situations. My advice for the week would be a lesson I learned. If you are having trouble with someone else, change what you can to do even just a little better. They will follow your example eventually and we could always use some fixing in ourselves.  Also the Atonement works.  I have seen it in my life and know of its healing powers.  If we are having problems or troubles the first thing we should do is get on our knees.  God gives us trials to help us grow, but if we aren't focused on God during those trials it just causes problems.  We wont become better from them and sometimes it leads to worse and worse issues.  We are here to progress, we have a way to do it and a loving God who is there to help us every step of the way.  We know the outcome of the world and what will happen when we pass on from this earthly life.  Yet we still seem to find ourselves trying to decide wither we want to follow Christ's example or listen to the enticing's of the devil.  Focusing on the Lord has helped me in my difficult times, so I know it can help everyone.

My comp

Colorado Sunset

A literal green egg. Fresh eggs are good but some of these chickens are weird.

Public Urination! could have gotten in trouble for that. Which remind me….My comp was driving last night and we got pulled over for speeding. The cop let him off with a warning but I would have smacked him so hard if he had gotten a ticket!! Did you know that if one guy gets a ticket he splits it with his comp? Horribly unfair.

My Indulgence. I sacrificed my soup and had ramen instead for the week.

my only missionary indulgence

This FREAKING huge egg! I call him Eggzilla Jr.