We rescued a snapping turtle from a bus last week. No joke.

HUMIDITY is so wonderful. I do enjoy it ever so much. I love that my skin is constantly moist. I love when I actually feel cold air, the wetness of my skin and clothes makes me cooler. Its great to walk outside and feel like you are swimming. This is especially nice because we can't swim as missionaries and I like the feeling of feeling like I'm at a water park all the time because water parks are super fun and stuff. Yes, yes, humidity is truly a wonderful thing.

HA! This is what we try to tell ourselves when we walk outside and feel like we have to move the air aside to walk through it. When we walk through walls of thick, heavy, grossness. Yes, this week has been one of serious humidity. We were tracting and someone had a gauge on their porch. It said humidity was 90%. 90%!! And I swear we felt it heavier than that the next day. Crazy man.

Well anyway, its been a good week. Life is just such a process. Constantly learning, constantly progressing. I know I've become something I never could have by being out here on a misson, but I was recently pondering on some thing I think I really need to change about myself. Habits and tendencies I need to overcome so they don't affect me in different ways later in life. I often think about how I am exposed to all these things I want in life, goals I think I have, things I want to accomplish, and it can be frustrating because so many of them it seems I can't do anything about as a missionary! But that is false. If I ask myself, what can I do today to be working toward this or that goal/hope or dream or desire or whatever. While I can't really work on learning Spanish (just as an example), I can learn to discipline myself and build study habits that will help me to learn it much better and more effectively perhaps when I return home. You know what I mean? Well anyway, I'm feeling like I really need to shape up and push myself a lot more in some certain areas. Be a little more precise in what I hold myself to. Something like that.

We saw some miracles this week. Just little things, but they were miracles. Ah but the Spanish Elders saw a New Testament style miracle with this family that a MEMBER recently introduced to the gospel. After about 1 week the family wants to get baptized, which is a miracle in itself (I think more the member part than the quick desire to be baptized - I kinda think of it as a miracle any time members do legitimate member missionary work. Not that members never do it or do it poorly, its just a rare thing, so its really wonderful to see when it happens and is a success!). It was something about the father receiving a blessing and then leaving the hospital the next day, after being told he would have to wear a bag attached to his stomach (or something like that) for the rest of his life. Amazing stuff. Miracles baby.

Anyway, ours were a little smaller. The main one was with this family I've been talking about lately, the Lopez. This family has one crazy situation after another. But, Thursday night, we experienced a few moments of perfect peace in their home. You just have to believe me that this is a serious miracle! We shared this wonderful message that just kinda came to us. I can hardly remember what it was. And it left them all deeply pondering. Everyone in their different situations in life took something from this little message we shared, and for just a few minutes, it was like everyone was perfectly content. It was so sweet.

We went over the next night to give her oldest daughter a blessing (she just got out of jail), and had a similar experience (Mom I read that little thing you used in your Sunday school class about Boyd K. Packer and taking a few steps into the darkness before we see the light - Sister Lopez absolutely loved it! Thanks!). It was all pretty cool. I love this lady (Sister Lopez). I just want to give her a big hug every time we go over there because her life is such a mess, due completely to other people's poor choices. Lame.

Whaaaaat else... Zone Conference. Great. As usual. This one was one of the better ones I've been to in the past few transfers. I think maybe we get to a point where a lot of what were being taught is kinda of "old hat" for some of us. We know it and its good to be reminded of it, but it can be a little less spiritual if we don't go in with the right attitude. I feel like I usually get something great out of all of them though. This one I definitely got a few reminders I needed. And also some serious spiritual fill. President didn't say too much at this conference. But he spoke with more sincerity than I've seen him speak in a while. Our mission is going to have some wild stuff happening in the coming months, I think I've mentioned this, and he told us how we were going to have to DIG DEEP. Many of us would be put in positions that will likely be hard. But the Lord will of course qualify us for the work, and help us through it all. It was pretty powerful. I love hearing that man speak. It made me so excited though, to hear this stuff. Dig deep. Things are going to get hard. I don't know why this makes me excited, I guess I like the challenge or something.

Its interesting though how one can feel the spirit so strongly without some mind blowing discourse on some heavy point of doctrine. What I felt the spirit the most for was testimony. The testimony of others, and the bearing of my own. Its so interesting and incredible that what is simply just a declaration of what someone knows to be true can carry so much power (if our hearts are not hardened and we prepare ourselves to be edified). How it can stir up feelings and emotions that we don't feel from the regular things of the world that normally stir up emotion and feeling and such. That special powerful feeling of the Holy Ghost. I was thinking about how so many people never experience that feeling! Its too bad. Its truly a gift, to feel the wonderful good tidings of peace and comfort from the Spirit of the Lord.
I love the quote from Brigham young about how if all the intellect and tact and whatever else in the world had been brought to him with the Book of Mormon, it would have vanished away like smoke (something along those lines), but to hear a humble unlearned man tell him "I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true," was the only thing that could have brought that special witness of truth to him. I think its pretty cool. It was testimony that edified me the most at Zone Conference. I love the feeling of being together with a group of missionaries all united in the same cause. The special spirit that can be present.

Sunday was a similar experience, just not so powerful for me personally. Our ward had the most wonderful testimony meeting. The ward here operates a little strange, but many of the members sure to have great testimonies. I love it! I love hearing the regular people of the world declare the truth and see them trying to live their lives accordingly (except for doing their home teaching!:))

So yes, ZC, good. Our mission is going to change big time next week and the following transfer. During that time, we'll have like 20 new missionaries coming out (14 this transfer and more the next), and we will lose 4 zone leaders and both assistants (with all the missionaries going home, of which there are many). So basically its a huge mess for President and I don't know how he's gonna do it. Some Elders will end up having to train after being out only one transfer (more than likely). Wild stuff man. I'm way curious how it will all go down.

Well I'm sure there's plenty more fluff I could tell you about, but I think I'll call it good! Oh tell David and Tony, I guess they'll probably read this, but I met President and Sister Pehrson's daughter and son in law who are in their ward in Kaysville - they're living in Presidents house. They said David and Tony's remodeled place is the cutest house in the world. Can't wait to see it. I kinda miss Utah. I miss the Temple. Temple square. I miss student wards. Those are great.

Aright, love you all like a lot style.

David