Hello everybody what a fabulous week this has been, so much has gone on this whole week it's been a blast! We have been out on our bikes most this week visiting people and members out on the edges of our area. The area for this Ward isn't more than a 20 minute bike ride form end to end...if there was no hills, but due to the hills it takes 3x as long to get to places and sometimes leaves us drenched in sweat, but it becomes the greatest blessings because people (mostly less actives and non members) see us and feel sorry and are willing to let us in form the heat. It gives us the greatest excuse to meet with them and learn about them. We have almost done a 180 in our teaching pool in pushing out old and bringing in the new. We are now teaching more less active and part member families. One family the McCalls super awesome, he wife is a in active member and the husbands a non member with the kids. So he was introduced to scouting in which he became a pack leader, and now he enjoys spending time coming and playing sports, hearing spiritual thoughts we share and just being around 'the great Mormon people' we haven't progressed to lesson but no doubt it will happen. We are also teaching another part member family, he survived a serious bike accident and she is a inactive member. They haven't really had any 'wanted' contact with the church until Elder Fa arrived, they opened their doors wife and after several weeks of us working hard they are finally willing to hear the lessons for themselves. What a miracle it is! Another one is a women who has been through quite a few hardships, her life would it an all time high and then plummet. She married a non Keene and stopped coming to church a few years ago and doesn't really accept any visits from members. Well we caught her one day working out with some of her horses she owns. And after a little bit of talking she invited us to sit down and she shared her life story. As she shared these intense experiences she bore strong testimony of the gospel. She shared her love and emotion to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, she reads the scriptures, prays always and keeps the laws of God. A full blooded Mormon still accept she feels throughout her life a real abandonment from the church in her greatest times of need and has no desire right now to go back to Church. But she feels of our spirit and is glad we came and is more than hey to listen to the lessons we have to share again. We are so excites for this progresos since we have not been able to contact her since I arrived 3 months ago......this truly has been an intense time I'm so grateful for the chance I have to spend her with elder Fa in teaching people and learning from him. This truly has been a humbling and fruitful experience so far, these are a few miracles we had this week.
Oh I almost forgot, my companion says thank you for sending him a package for reaching his one year! Hahahaha(see picture below) us thank you mother although I cannot it eat it it does stir wonderful memories of home. I'm happy for the gift though! I hope you all are having a great time, I love my chance I have to be here on a mission especially hitting my year mark I notice one thing first. I'm still out!!!! I've hit half way point and couldn't believe it, so I followed many traditions including reading all the old letters I received from home . It is amazing to read all the support I had received and I am so thankful for all the support I have received. I loved every letter I received and it causes my soul to swell with joy not only at how helpful you have all been. But how each of you have frown and changed. I'm truly blessed to have a family that's still close together that's still has a core belief and unity in the gospel. I'm glad I have a mixture of both brothers and sisters who kept me in line but also did crazy stuff with me. You know.........I came to realize two things. One thing is not everyone is going to like you, no matter what someone is just going to dislike you even if they 'should' like you. It's very hard for me to accept that and is a big struggle I had out here, but now realizing that I won't treat them any differently I will still give them the same love that the lord would give me or them. Second thing I realize is to cherish those who do love you who accept you for who you are and not what you have or do. It truly is a blessing especially in trying times like these to have the many angels, heroes, and warriors all around me (and at home) who are fighting the fierce battles of life and lean upon one another for support. Oh my sons remember remember that it is upon the rock of our redeemer who is Christ, the son of God that he must build your foundation. That when the devil shall send for his mighty winds, yea his shafts in the whirl wind, yea when all his hail and mighty storms shall beat upon you. That they will have no power over you to drag you down into the gulf of misery and endless whoa, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. -Hellman 5:12 so true is this scripture and the next one I memorized. I'm sorry for being a slacker. I will send out individual letters in the coming week. I hope you all had a good time friends and family I bid thee adu.
P.s. Bottom picture is the valley of loomis hahahaha
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