Mom,

Glad everything went well with your surgery.  Things here are a little cold too and it rains everyday! Well it's about to get a lot colder.  I'm going back to Puno to end my mission in Juliaca. I have 20 hours of travel that start tonight ha ha, thanks to the terrorism in Cusco and all that. It's the shortest time I have ever been in a sector here, we didn't have much success, but I feel the sector is better than when we got here so that makes me feel good. Wow I can't believe I'm going to my last sector, that is crazy to me. Have to pack up all my stuff again, and get ready for the 20 hour BUS ride ha ha. (well 19 hours, there is a one hour break). I hope you guys have a great week! I love you guys

Mom,

I'm glad you and Dad were able to do temple work for the family, I'm sure that was a special experiance. I hope Cara and Chad can get into the apartment they want. This week went well, we had a awesome family home evening yesterday with a reference the branch president gave us. This Sunday are transfers, I think I might have a transfer, but I guess I'll find out.  I'm thankful that Heavenly Father is always helping me to learn and grow, and realize how much I dont know. I felt reminded yesterday sharing my testimony with a family about how amazing the gospel really is, it's everything.  Like you said just the fact of knowing that God has a plan for us so that we can be happy and being able to know that then feel the spirit in our lives, I think makes all the difference. I remember a few scriptures where Jesus talks about those who want to be his disciples, and gives a parable to ask if were willing to pay the price, today I was reminded that instead of asking God to take our pains away we should ask to have the faith and the strength to support our problems, I think maybe that's where the price comes in and we are able to gain experience and become as heavenly father. Love ya Mom hope everyone has a good week.

Hi Mom,
Thanks for sharing that with me, I will have to give that some more thought. Glad everything is going well with Cara, the Draper temple sure is pretty. I hope they'll be able to find an apartment soon. We had a good week, we did all of our contacting this week with the Book of Mormon and it was awesome. It's a good sifter too, because I think the people that will take the time to read a little bit or look up some of the references have a lot higher chance of progressing. We leave every book with the compromise that they will read enough to form their personal opinion. I think I'm going to keep doing this with my companion, there is a good spirit about it. I found it somewhat interesting this week, when we knocked a door, and an old man answered, and asked me where I was from and I told him I was American, to which he immediately responded then why are you here lying to the people trying to cheat them (better than they time I was called a spy and was threatened to have battery acid thrown on me ha ha). I find it interesting that many people here reject us for trying to share something with them that was written by their ancestors, it makes me think of a few verses in 2 Nephi. But anyways I'm thankful for the Book of Mormon, that I have been blessed with a testimony of it's truthfulness. Hope you have a great week Mom, love ya!

Hi Mom,

Hope you had a great BIRTHDAY! Glad you were able to do something fun.  Brennan seemed to be very excited about seing the hobbit when we talked at Christmas, I am also a fan of said hobbit, ha ha, so that is cool that you all got to see it. I hope Brett will be able to get his job soon. Wow, all that snow! That's crazy!  I haven't seen snow in a while. Things are going well here.  We got our mission leader yesterday and he seems pretty excited to work with us so that is good.  Things are really not so well with the families we've been teaching.  One - they don't want to get married which is sad when they have 12 years together and 4 kids.  Two - another family wants that the Dad can listen too, but considering we find out that he doesn't want to listen to us, that doesn't really help.  He says it's fine that his family listens and everything but he doesn't want anything to do with it, "I was born and will die catholic". Not to be disrespectful, but I find it interesting that during my whole time as a missionary no one has been able to tell me why they are catholic.  We're always looking for more people to teach, it's pretty sad how pretty much all the families have the same problem of never being married or that the parents don't even want to be together. I like being able to share "The Family, a Proclamation" with people. Last week when we were coming back to the room we were going to go up the stairs (we live on the second floor) and I was in front, and it was pretty much pitch black, but I went up about three stairs and I felt very weird, like uncomfortable, I felt (not heard) like someone was coming down the stairs, so I moved up a few stairs and I saw something like a glimpse something coming down the stairs but against the wall and I got to the landing and felt like there was someone there and that I would have to go around them so I took off my backbapck and put it in front of me and there was nothing there, which was very weird, and so we got up to the the room and I asked my companion if he felt something and he said that he felt a very uncomfortalbe feeling too, it was pretty crazy! But after that nothing.  Love you and hope you have a great week!