Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Elder Fronk and I are both staying here. About half of our zone is getting transferred, though.

On thursday we will play some T-bowl football in the morning, then go the "Catawba Island Club" on Catawba Island for thanksgiving lunch with a member family, and later have dinner with another member family. We will do our weekly planning sometime on thursday as well. Who all is coming to Thanksgiving?

So winter has totally set in, huh? Sorry to hear that. It's been cold enough to dig out the thermals and sweaters a couple times, but we haven't seen snow yet, for which I am quite thankful. Snow is a whole lot less fun when you're a missionary and can't do anything fun with it. I'm glad you got back before the snow started, especially since you ran out of gas. I'm amazed that the suburban can hold 44 gallons! We need a gas tank like that on our truck - we have to fill up 2-3 times a week sometimes, what with all the travel we have to do. I think our tank holds 18-20 gallons.

Good job Delaney on the YW program. That's a pretty profound statement about smiling! What else was on your list of stuff you believe?

So we had an interesting experience the other day. We left the keys in our apartment and locked ourselves out. No problem - the members downstairs have the spare key. So we went down and knocked, but nobody answered. So we called Sis. Boggs, but as it turned out she wasn't home. However, she told us to just go in the unlocked back door and that our key was the one with the blue tag on the key rack in the hall by the kitchen. We thought it was a little weird to go in their house when nobody was home, but we didn't want to be stuck outside and we had permission, so we went in and commenced the hunt for our key among all the keys on the key rack. Well, as it turns out, Bro. Boggs was home and just hadn't heard us knock. He came strolling around the corner and we felt understandably awkward and commenced trying to explain why we were in his house. (He didn't really let us get a word in edgewise, though, he just started talking to us.) The funny part, though, is that he wasn't even fazed when he saw us - he just said "Oh, hello Elders! How have y'all been doing today?" and commenced talking about how he was about to go visit a less-active member of the church he hometeaches and the other things he was going to do that day. He never even asked what we were doing there (although we tried to tell him as soon as there was a break in his talking). Even more awkward to us, he promptly said "Well, I've got to get going or else I'll be late to visit Jeff." and walked out and left - again leaving us alone in the house. I guess he just really trusts the missionaries or something - if it was my house I'd probably be demanding explanations!

Esther & Yazmeyne came to church on Sunday. We'll see if we can set a baptismal date with them today. The date may end up being in May, though, since that's when their marriage is.

Sorry I haven't given you any ideas for Christmas presents, Mom. Are your mind-reading powers diminished by distance or something? Just be glad I'm not serving in Hong Kong! You can tell people to get me cool doctrinal books like "The Joseph Smith Papers", "History of the Church", The Messiah series by Bruce R. McConkie, "Mormon Doctrine", "The Miracle of Forgiveness", "The Great Apostasy", anything by John Bytheway, etc. I'd also like an electrical shaver and another sweater or two. NOTE: I wouldn't be able to read the books on my mission, since they aren't in the approved missionary library. You'd have to save them for me at home. Send me pictures of them or something. Hopefully that gives you some good ideas.

bout to get booted from the computer - LYMNB!!

Time extended!!!

Anyways, per your question, yes we do assign people to be 'fellowshippers' for our investigators - their basic job is to be the investigator's friend and help them progress and feel comfortable while they are making a big and often difficult change. They sit with the invs at church, invite them to activities, take them to their different classes, sometimes give them rides to church if necessary, come with us to teaching appointments, etc.

So our ward website says Daniel Johnson is serving in the Bahia Blanca mission - that's where Elder Wells that I trained for a couple weeks back in Toledo went once he got his visa. I wonder if he knows him. Elder Wells was pretty solid - he might be an AP by now. My address is wrong on the ward website as well, by the way - it still shows the Madison address.

Thanks for being such a supportive family! I love and appreciate you and look forward to speaking with you next month!

LoveYMNB,
Elder Matthew Smith