Eatin' good in the neighborhood!‏

Hello!

Sorry about the rotten weather there - our weather's been nice enough, but it's starting to get chilly. What kind of french food did you have at the Neu's? (other than cheese).

Some members from Catawba Island took us to dinner at their country club and it was super fancy and cool (the food was great, too). I decided I might have to marry a super-rich wife so we can live at a country club, too. They had beautiful multimillion dollar houses, a great ocean view, (well, a lake erie view in this case, but you couldn't tell the difference), a big fat golf course...it was pretty schnazzy. Since we don't get up to the Catawba Island area very often, we stopped to look at the lighthouse on the way to our next appointment. It was a really clear day and you could see Canada to the north and Cleveland to the east. I called up Elder Toth (one of the missionaries serving in our zone) and told him I could see his house from there. (He's from Canada).

Glad the primary program went well. What was the theme? What play did you go to at Hale Centre?

Thanks for the packages!! I had been running low on candy, but what with the boxes and the generosity of the members, combined with the aftermath of halloween, I should be well supplied for a while now. Thanks for writing the letters, too - those are the best part.

Congratulations to the mighty hunter!!! I enjoyed the story of how you got him as well. My companion is impressed with our family's continuous hunting conquests. What are we doing with the majority of the deer and elk meat this year? How are you going to mount the antlers from Cody's deer? What kind of mount are we getting for Mom's elk? Do we have any more hunts coming up?

Our church attendance this week was pretty disappointing, with a big, fat goose egg. (Speaking of geese, it seems like they are coming out of the woodwork here - you can't hardly walk outside without running into a goose or seeing them fly overhead or at least hearing them.) Sis. Jenkins got her sundays taken away at work so she won't be able to come for a couple weeks. Yasmine was sick so none of Esther's family came.

I'm glad Sis. Anderson emailed you. Her son got back from his mission in Nicaragua about a month ago. He comes teaching with us all the time - he's great. Yes the "hillbilly hoedown" was a lot of fun and a great success - there were a whole lot more people at that on wednesday than came to sacrament meeting on sunday. Esther, Robbie, Yasmine, and Bro. and Sis. Jenkins all came and had a good time. Esther even won 2nd prize in the costume contest. Since the activity was such a success, I'm thinking maybe the activities committee should just be in charge of sacrament meetings. Or maybe we should have a dessert contest at sacrament meetings. Or line dancing. Or maybe more people would come if sacrament only happened quarterly. With all these great ideas I have, I don't understand why I haven't been called to the seventy yet.

So I was also thinking about a great idea to help us contact more people - we're still not having much success in finding. It's always awkward when we walk up to somebody on the street and start talking to them, but Elder Fronk and I noticed that smokers have no problems walking up to somebody and asking them for a light. We've decided we should start smoking so that we could just walk the streets and ask people for a light, and then start talking to them about the gospel. I guess we'll have to see what President Sorensen thinks of the idea...

I'm glad I still look skinny - It seems like it's getting harder and harder to see my jawline...

Thanks for being so supportive! I love and appreciate each one of you for your great examples of gospel living in action! I know that as you stay on top of the small and simple things of the gospel, everything else in your life will fall into place. The storms will still rage and the winds will still blow, but if you are built on the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, they can have no power over you. The standard of truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, and calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, 'til it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every nation, and sounded in every ear - until the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the great Jehovah shall say the work is finished. I know that with the Savior's help we can weather every trial and come out stronger on the other side until, like the refiner's silver, we reflect the image of our Maker.

Loveymnb!
Elder Matthew Smith