Hey hey hey!
How's everything going? It was absolutely AWESOME to get your e-mail! And thanks for the conference talks! They actually came in really handy, especially because I had to give my first talk in church this past sunday, while I've been out in the field.
I gave a talk in the MTC, but that was only about 5 minutes, and I read directly off the paper. This past sunday, the ward mission leader gave me a call (along with another new missionary, Elder Nash from Oregon) and a sister who is heading back to temple square this coming week. I was called to speak last. That was definitely something new! I haven't even been the concluding speaker in English before! So I was preparing my talk for about 3 days beforehand, and even up to the last few minutes before I got up to speak. And I said a HUGE prayer just before going up there. Once I got up there, my nervousness and worry kind of went away, and I stood there, not reading 100% off my paper, just kind of glancing down for cues and scripture references, and I talked for the remaining 15 minutes. I definitely owe a lot to the Lord and the Holy Ghost for bringing everything to my rememberance that I needed!!! I was speaking with words I had struggled with before, and saying just what came to mind. It's interesting: My last companion, Elder Neilson, talked about now worrying about what to say. It was a lot like Qui-gon in Star Wars (I love making those comparisons!! ): "Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts." (or, in this case, the Spirit) At first, I thought: "What?! That's kind of...weird." But I've realized that that's a way to trust in the Lord and the Spirit. When those impressions come to mind as to what I need to say, I need to say them, and they're usually what the people we're teaching need to hear. Pretty sweet experience!
Haha and yes, the house IS on that same cul-de-sac, and very close to the ocean. I'll see if I can take some pictures today and develop them, then send them back home. It's an amazing area!! The family is great, and they have 1 son still at home (Along with 3 daughters, married, and I think 1 other son). But Joshua, the 1 son they have at home, has only been home for about 4 days of the past 2.5 weeks. He's been traveling to visit family, like his brother and sisters. Lots of road and flight time!
You mentioned birthday and Christmas coming up. Umm....I think I'll have to put in some more thought on those. Music is always good, especially classical and MoTab, with a little bit of EFY thrown in (And I think that's the extent of the music we're able to listen to!) But I was wondering if you'd be able to send something out in the next week or two: Because Halloween's coming up, I had a question. Is anyone using that Superman tie? If they are, that's fine. No worries! But if not...We can't really dress up, so I'm thinking that might be the extent of my dressing up for this year (Which I don't like very much. I love throwing together costumes and stuff! I guess this will have to do! I'll be a missionary for halloween this year!)
Also, could you send out that Calorie King book? And maybe a suggestion on where I might be able to get a less-expensive food scale, or brands that are good but don't cost too much? I might be counting carbs soon...yippie!!!
And one last thing - Could you send me the lyrics to "With a Touch of the Master's Hand?" I've had that in my head a lot, and I want to get the right words stuck in there.
So, we also went to the Temple this past week. An awesome experience! It was different from the Sacramento temple, sitting there, especially with the little bit of time that we had there. Within minutes, we were in and out of the Celestial Room. I would have liked a little more time to meditate, but I did get the chance to talk into the voice recorder and record some of the inspiration I receive. It was definitely an interesting experience.
Oh, and CERTAINLY not least: We have a really solid investigator named Rosemin. She's the boyfriend of the ward clerk (I think I told you about the experience we had when we extended the baptismal date - very cool! If not, I'll record it and send it on over!) We came back later and asked her if she prayed about Joseph Smith, and she said, "yes." Then, we asked if she knew that he was a prophet of God. She gave a solid, "Yes," without hesitation. I haven't seen anyone answer like that since I've been out here in the field! It was such a great experience, and the Spirit was just crazy strong! There aren't really words to describe it!
Haha so those stickers and bell...they might come in very handy! And actually, I might see if I can trade in my mountain bike for one of those beach cruisers you see everywhere in Chico State. We'll be riding in style haha...but only if they have cruisers with mountain bike gears!!
Good to see everything is going so well! Well, minus Taylor with her torn tendons!
And Janne...Really makes me wonder what Steve is thinking right now, and how quickly he'll be up there with the swat team...
Pues, necesito salir. Pero, voy a escribir una carta a vosotros! Nos vemos, y hasta luego!
Les amo - a infinidad, y mas alla!!!!
El Devinator
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