On the edge of my seat!!

October 31, 2011…Hello Family,




Another 1% of my mission gone by. It was a relatively good 1% at that.


We're still teaching Weston and his family. I really love teaching them. They're a relatively sarcastic bunch, so I feel right at home. I always feel so great when we teach them. They're one of those families you pray to find. Even though his mom and sister are members I know the lessons have really helped them out a lot. Their testimonies have really been strengthened in the last few weeks. This week we taught them at another member’s home. They've been able to build a great friendship. Having that friendship will really help them stay active once Elder Maxfield and I are gone. Weston is going to be baptized this Sunday. I'm really excited for him.


We haven't taught Lin lately. He went out of town because his brother is getting married. We were able to give him a Chinese copy of the Book of Mormon before he left though. His reading should be more productive now that he has that.


That's about all the news as far as investigators go. The rest have been really hard to get in contact with. David, the man we taught on the porch, has been completely off the radar. It's always strange when that kind of thing happens. It's pretty much the story of my time here in Lake City. We find investigators and have really powerful lessons with them, then they disappear. We're going to keep trying to get in touch with him again for a little while longer. On a good note, we have some pretty good potentials in the mix. We'll see how it goes.


On Saturday our ward had their trunk-or-treat. I enjoyed it. We were there for a little while. They had deep fried hot dogs! In all honesty they weren't as good as the barbecued hot dogs.


Wednesday was a pretty intense day. We went to Jacksonville for a Zone Leader Council. I really loved it. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon. We got back to Lake City at about 5:15. We worked for awhile then had our monthly meeting with the stake president. It all went really well.


Mom told me that you all had a family Halloween party last week. That's wonderful!! I heard it went really well. I look forward to being there next year....wow that's strange to say.


Thursday morning we went and did service for a less-active man. He is 85! We worked in his yard and he was right with us the whole time. It's incredible that he's so active and able to do all he does. When we left he thanked us for helping him and the look in his eyes was priceless. He had a lot of love and gratitude in his eyes.


While working with him we somehow got talking about butter. By the end of the conversation Elder Maxfield had decided that he wanted to make his own butter today. I think that's what we'll be attempting later today. Either that or go to the driving range.


So, transfer calls come this Saturday. That's the reason for the title of the email. I've been here almost six months so I'm really wondering if I will stay. I think it's unlikely, but you never know. I've learned a lot out here. I really love it here. There are so many wonderful people and it's a great little town.


Since I've been out here I have really developed a desire to have a garden. So many people grow their own stuff! I want to as well. It's all about being self sufficient. I also think that's a big reason the less-active man we helped is still so healthy. He grows a lot of his own stuff and stays active. So, I'm going to have a garden when I get home...maybe I'll be a farmer.


I've especially seen my testimony grow stronger in my time here. I have become a much more powerful teacher too.


Well, as I mentioned earlier we talked a lot about the Book of Mormon in Zone Leader Council. I really love the Book of Mormon. It has played such a vital role in my life. It has been the catalyst of my conversion. I love being able to sit down and read it each day. It opens up the lines of revelation. I pray that I can read it everyday for the rest of my life. That's the goal. I know if I were to stop reading daily then my testimony would weaken and I would not be as happy. Please make it a point to read your Book of Mormon daily.


Love Always, Zach