November 30, 2015, Dia de accion de dar Garcias; FAT, FAT, FAT, "So much time so little do do. Scratch that, reverse it" -Willy Wonka

THIS WEEK WAS SO GOOD!!!

Hi mom,

We really need another set of elders in this area. It's a square mile (literally) but we have so much work that we can't do it all on our own. We really could use a 2nd set of elders, so hopefully in 4-5 weeks I'm writing "I've been called to train and so has elder Jager" but who knows.

This week we had everything fall through. We tried so hard to talk to everyone and have lessons, but everything we had planned fell through hard, so we didn't get supper nice numbers, but we have an A+ for effort. Ok, not everything fell through. Every member that wanted to feed us did. So we had 9 meals this week. 1 on Tuesday,  Friday, and Saturday, and 2 on Wednesday,Thursday and Sunday. They were really good, and I somehow managed to not get fat.

On Thanksgiving, we decided to give the knocking a break (partly because President Henrie said to) so we just ran by Menos activos all day. By doing this we learned even more that OUR AREA NEED A 2ND SET OF ELDERS! We don't have time to work with MA and Investigators and find. We barely find time to do two of those at a time and that's only because of KO.

Sunday we started the Christmas season off by doing a blitz/Caroling in a English area. It was really fun, but I'm not used to English work (it really is that different). It was also kind of weird to sing Christmas songs (Hymns nonetheless) and not remember all of the words. I'm usually pretty good on most of the verses, but I couldn't even remember the 1st verse to "Silent Night" in English or the Course to "Angels we have Heard on High". All I could think of were the Spanish words, and they don't translate directly. It was fun, but we then had more fun when all of the Elders left. We didn't think it was a problem. They had two members with them and they were going to give us a ride to the chruch where we were all drinking Hot Chocolate and then we'd hitch a ride with the elders in whose area we were knocking, but as we were walking to the car, we learned that they were only 17. Mission rules are you can't be alone with any one of the opposite sex OR under 18. The Elders had gotten premonition to go on splits with these priests, but we thought it best to walk to the church, which was really far away. We didn't make it, the other elders picked us up, but they were not happy at all.

That's about it. I'd just like to invite all of you to Discover Why? This is the new Christmas initiative. It's super cool. Like last year with He is the Gift, this year the church has come out with a short 2 minute video called "A Savior is Born" and the invitation is to do exactly what I just asked you to do; discover why. Why is it important that Jesus was born? Why do we need a savior? Why should He, God, the Great Creator, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, Care enough to come down and save us, a bunch of sinners who never seam to do anything right? (That sounded a lot like Elder Holland, I promise, no plagiarism was involved in the writing of this letter.) That's the church's invitation to the world this Christmas season, and that's mine to all of you, my loved ones, and everyone I talk to on the street, my stewardship, as well. Discover why, and then share with others your "why" because I promise that there is more than one.

con amor

Elder Michael Blanding

Called to Serve my King