Week Eighty Six - More Bugs and Planking!

Lunch at McDonald's on Christmas Day!

Planking competition!  The sister closest to the camera, Elder Powell and Elder Hill won!

Hi!

   First off, thanks for the updates!  Elder Keller was fine without a heated blanket.  The kid's a freak!  He doesn't get cold!  It's been in the 30 degree range all weak, and he rides around on his bike comfortably, dressed for 50 degree weather!  So he has been fine.  The heat is back on, I'm over the cold, taking vitamins, and making smoothies, happy and healthy!  A JEEP?!  I would be perfectly happy with a jeep!  Mother, why must you be so difficult?  Just give in already!   

   Despite the cold weather, we had a really good week here.  We worked hard and had some good things happen.  We have an investigator named Quedin.  He is from Guatemala, 23 years old.  He came to church yesterday and started to get involved with the young single adults in the ward.  It was great to see the members befriend him!  He told us that he had a dream that he was a missionary.; and dreams for Hispanics are not just dreams, they are revelation!  Hispanics just have that gift.  So we are quite confident that he is going to get baptized.  We are really pushing for the 31st of this month, so Elder Keller can have a baptism the last week of his mission, but Quedin thinks he needs to learn a lot more first.  He is so ready though!  So we will see what happens.  Just keep him in your prayers!  Quedin Giron.

   The highlight of our week was Wednesday when we got to go to MLC - Mission Leadership Council.  I have heard for a long time now how great that meeting is, and it's true!  Once a month, all the zone leaders and sister training leaders and assistants get together for an 8 hour meeting at the mission home to brainstorm, counsel, and discuss the needs of the mission with President and Sister Taylor.  And the best part about it is that the meeting is interrupted by a quality, delicious, home-cooked American lunch, thanks to Sister Taylor.  She really knows what she is doing in the kitchen!  And I don't get those kinds of meals too often!  But anyway, at this meeting, because of the new year, we talked about visions, goals, and plans for 2015.  2015 is going to be a BIG year!  As we went through the power point presentation that contained these things, I was really blown away by it all.  President and Sister Taylor have really put all their heart, mind, might and strength into this mission.  I have no doubt that they are inspired and lead by the Lord.  We also learned there that Elder Russell M. Nelson is coming to visit us at the end of the month!  That is a big deal!  And it is all because he has a grand daughter in the mission that has been praying that he would come to the TDM.  It's going to be amazing!!!!!!!  So it was a pretty great meeting, and I am grateful for the privilege I had to attend. Oh yeah, and then we ended the meeting with a competition between a few missionaries to see who could hold an ab plank longest.  I got nominated to participate.  I really didn't want to, because I feared I would lose to one of the sister missionaries.  And I did!  A little philipino sister that had never done an ab plank before in her life almost beat everybody!  Not fair.  I'm out of shape and I don't like it! 

   The other night we found a cockroach infestation behind our refrigerator.  I don't know what was worse - finding the cockroaches or the bedbugs.  But either way, I am really fed up with Texas and just miss Utah.  Never did I have to deal with either one of those back home!  

-heat was off because of a furnace problem or something like that, but we got it fixed.

-the Febreeze and other air fresheners do help quite a bit.

-I don't need you to send me anything right now.  Thanks though!

-We usually get the bike for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  This car share is a real pain and we are all fed up with it.

That's all I've got for ya this week.  But I do have a question that I've been meaning to ask for a few weeks now, but I have just been forgetting:  what did everyone get for Christmas?!  Have a great week!  I miss you all and I want you to know that I love you to Kolob and back!

Elder Williams