October 3rd letter

Dear mom and dad,

This week was way good. I find it funny how things can change so much in just one week. Last week we felt like everybody was dropping us and what not, but then this week we picked everything back up. It was a really great week for missionary work. We were also busy going around and visiting all the different districts in our zone, we needed to teach some district meetings. This month the mission decided to focus on "giving commitments" so we went all around training on how to give good commitments. This has been very helpful because it is something that I was wanting to work on, and in order to train somebody else on it. You have to know how to do it yourself. It gave me a good reason to work on it.

So Elder Iverson and I have decided that everyone in our zone needs to work on a few things. We have had a lot of conversations about how we can be better missionaries and how to help others be better missionaries too so that everything can improve. Anyways, we came up with 3 things that everyone could do to make the work better than it currently is. It is Building your Faith, Charity, and Temperance. We all need to have more faith in Christ and in the help that we will receive as we try our hardest to do His work. Next we all need to have more charity for our investigators, members and other missionaries. Last but not least is temperance – you ask why? Because you can't focus too much on any one thing and not focus enough on other things. You need to have the perfect amount of everything (i.e. finding, teaching, service, working with members, etc). If you don't have temperance one of these things will suffer and the work will eventually decrease, but if you try and have temperance in all the things then I think they will feed off each other and the work will grow. Anyway we know there are probably way more things that we need to work on but those are the basics (stepping stones).

As Elder Iverson and I have implemented this into our work we have seen a lot of improvement in ourselves, in our investigators, and in the ward. I would say all together we are just happier. Now we are just trying to help everyone else incorporate it also.

It sounds like all is well at home, staying busy and all. I meant to ask you guys what talks you liked the most, but it is not too late at least next week when you answer I will be able to relate because I will get to watch it next Saturday and Sunday. And guess what else, this time will be in English! Yeah – first English conference in a year and a half, I'm so excited!

Anyway the movies this week are ง่ายๆ We have Dodgeball and Bad News Bears. I think the theme would The misfit team coming out on top. Last week I totally forgot the pacifier had the bear dance, so that is why I didn't know. Plus I was really rushed a little bit. Anyway Thanks so much for your emails. It sounds like between the wedding shower and back pain you guys were "occupied" this week. (can you say that?)

I love you have a good next week.