Week #72

Hi Mom!

Wow that really is a crazy week! I'm glad that Nana is doing better. That's pretty scary! It's really a bummer not being able to help in anyway over here in Ohio. Glad that I have super woman for a mom though! Otherwise, we could have some issues. You really are the best Mom! You're always so quick to serve and be there for everyone. I love you a whole lot! 

This week was a pretty great week! We have been taking a lot of members of the ward out with us and I really feel like I'm becoming a part of this ward. It's so much fun to get to be a help in the unit where I serve. I love seeing the work progress here! 

So our investigators are doing so great! We really have been blessed with amazing investigators in this area! All of them (well at least the ones that are progressing) are so solid! It continues to amaze me how much these people love the gospel. Our core 4 investigators are still Anthony, Lauren, Yvette, and Frank. They're all moving forward and keeping all of their commitments! We had planned for all four of them to come to church last week but Frank woke up not feeling great so he wasn't able to make it. Lauren, Yvette, and Anthony all came to church and loved it!!! Lauren was impressed with the women in the ward and how kind they were! She also loved 2nd hour and had to leave after that. Anthony and Yvette could only stay for the first hour because of their work schedules. Great week for church attendance! 

Anthony was out of town for part of last week and when he came back was again crazy busy with work. He's still trying really hard to get all his assignments done so that he can become a teacher. We talked to him about it this last Saturday but he said he's almost for sure just going back to accounting. He's become fairly frustrated with the teaching environment. He's teaching in a lower income area in Cleveland. Most of the problems he's running into come from some sort of problem within the Kids' families. He still wan't to be baptized and knows that the church is true! His testimony continues to grow stronger and stronger. 

Lauren is reading the Book of Mormon like crazy! She always has such great questions about what she reads in the Book of Mormon. We had a lesson all planned out for our meeting this last week with Lauren but she read from 2 Nephi 1 all the way to chapter 14! She had so many questions that we spent an hour just answering all of them and talking about what she read! I think we only made it up to chapter 9! She's so awesome! Like I said, she came to church Sunday and thought that it was great! I was confident that she would enjoy Sunday school because of her love for applying the scriptures and gospel to her life. I can see her desire to progress and become better which she is finding in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Yvette's lesson this week was really good! So she told us when we first started to meet with her that she had a learning disability and that we'd have to be patient with her. We didn't know what it was from or how sever it really was. This week, however, we figured out both of those things. We had decided to read that Book of Mormon stories book with her this week to help her grasp a little more what she was reading. She struggled a little bit with the reading, which I didn't think was going to happen, and she told us that she developed this disability when she was 11 years old. She had a very bad seizure and lost a lot of blood, resulting in a stroke. She has had 5 strokes I think is what she said and is still driving! She isn't physically handicapped in any way at least that I can tell. Anyway, the reason her lesson was so great was because when we were reading with her, she was loving the stories in the book! She was applying what we were talking about to her life and was totally grasping similarities with the bible! After we read with her, she prayed and said in that prayer, "I believe what I have read in this book" She's seriously so great! I love teaching her! She soaks the spirit up when we teach her! 

Frank is doing really good! He's having a rough go with sickness right now but other than that he's killing it! He is still reading the Book of Mormon a lot and making some impressive notes so that he can retain the information. He's working really hard to understand the basics. Hopefully he'll be baptized before the end of the year! 

All of our other investigators are having a little bit of a hard time keeping return appointments that we set with them. They aren't super committed which is a little bit of a drag but it's working out! Still finding some great people!

I don't know if I mentioned last letter but it's freaking cold over here! I wish I could stay inside all winter or go back to Arizona. I swear from this point forward to never hate on a snow bird ever again. If I lived anywhere other than Arizona I would totally be a snow bird!

I can't think of anything that I need or want for Christmas. I can make everything that I have last until I go home so no worries.

The Doctor was lame... All she said was that I should wear a brace... Like I said, Lame.

Well I love you lots Mom! Wish I could come and be with the fam. A skype call in 3 weeks will just have to do. Love you so much!

Love,

Jack