The Book of Mormon is the illest.

My goodness. This past week was just... fantastic. Just beautiful. The past few days, this weekend, were a serious rollercoaster. What else is new right. But we must taste the bitter, that we may know to prize the good. Serving with Elder Rogers, I was reflecting yesterday, may be one of the most humbling experiences of my life. I feel like I am continually reminded of what I am not. Now this is probably not the greatest view to take, but its just how its been for me. Perhaps its good at this time. I ought to look and say, okay, this is what I need to be more of, and start working toward it. I do this in some measure, but it seems its been far more an avenue for the Lord to show me that I am not particularly special. And that can be a good thing to remember oft times. Missionary work is hard! I have my strengths in certain aspects of it, but boy do I also have my weaknesses! What can you do. We do know that the Lord will make weak things become strong to those who are humble. Isn't that nice.

Along those lines, it also seems that the more I learn about missionary work, the more inadequate I feel! Hindsight's 20/20, but its really tough to look back with the added knowledge of experience. I guess I can only thank the Lord that I've at least learned something from all this I've been through, and recognize where improvement is needed. The hard part is acting on those things. Change. Change is tough!

We set a date with a woman this week! Her name is Mary. She's a really nice lady we met tracting actually! Time will tell, but gosh, she appears to be very prepared for the gospel. She accepted a date extremely readily. She said "oh of course". Lovely. We're doing some service for her, her house is a wreck right now. Its kinda crazy, just a few years ago she was living an upper-middle class life, from what I gather, and now she has no job, an irresponsible ex-husband, and is struggling to make the mortgage payments. Ha, sound familiar these days? She almost fits the mold of the people in Alma 32 perfectly. Lucky us I guess. But she's a smart person. She was a teacher. It is SO nice to teach people with greater intellectual capacity. So we shall see how things progress. We of course have high hopes. I've never baptized someone that I personally found, and it would be a really neat thing. But of course, it would be even greater to see how the Gospel will bless this woman immensely. Its so hard when you see these people who need it so bad and you just want them to GET IT!

This week has been all about Christmas and I LOVE IT! We had a Mission Christmas party, our Ward Christmas party, and a Stake musical. AAHHH it was so wonderful. The mission thing was wonderful. The whole mission was together, which only happens once, maybe twice a year. You all can't imagine how the caliber of missionaries in the Connecticut Hartford Mission has improved in the past 18 months. Elder Rogers and I looked out over all the Elders and Sisters as we were gathered together and I just said to myself "Wow, we really have an excellent group of missionaries here!" Its exciting! There is so much potential! Its such a blessing to come together in a group of such people. Unity. Love. I've come to just LOVE gathering on a mission. Something about the spirit of gathering I suppose. I just fills me up inside. People! Anyway, it was excellent. The Pehrsons really did a good job for us all. They are the most wonderful people on this side of the Mississippi. You really cannot imagine how blessed I feel, and how blessed I know I am to be here under their guidance. President Pehrson is an extremely dynamic person. Very well balanced. Very well balanced. I have so much respect for him. SO much gratitude to be here.

AH - thank you to ALL who sent me their love via the 20 foot Christmas card from all you all at Thanksgiving. That was FANTASTIC!! Lots of fun for sure. Mom you're a crafty young lady!

Avon Ward Christmas party was excellent too. They are a great ward and I'm starting to feel much more at home here. Each ward is so unique, its so interesting. I love it. It of course takes time to adjust, but each has its own special feel to it. It was a really good Ward party, lots of time and energy put in by people and I certainly appreciate it. REALLY really good sweet potato casserole. Gosh I love sweet potatoes.

Then there was this Stake Christmas musical last night. It was neat. Music is such a special thing. My gosh. It carries so much power. I've reflected lately on what a gift it is for those who have serious musical talent. Music has a special power to stir our souls, ya know? Its great to be an athlete, or a brain, and there are good things that come from that and other talents people have. But those who are gifted with music, what a marvelous ability they have been given to uplift people. To feed our spirits! There was a quartet that sang a song last night that I've never heard, but it was excellent. Hearing harmony is so beautiful. There was also this horn piece. Trombone, french horn, trumpet, I couldn't see, but I heard those at least. Brass man, brass is no joke. It sounds so amazing. I've been getting more and more into brass and horns since I started listening to Beirut. They are amazing. Ahh. Such a blessing to hear such beauty. Ha I probably sound silly, but it really was special. I went to sleep last night feeling so wonderful. As good as I've felt in a while, which was so nice because as I said, the weekend was a rollercoaster.

So, between all these things, it sure feels like Christmas now, and I LOVE IT! Oh it is wonderful. It just feeeels good inside. The spirit of it all just excites me! I know several people who really don't like Christmas. Some folks have had bad experiences, or hate all the hype or whatever. I feel awful for them! I really feel so bad! How much joy and goodness do they miss out on?! Forget all the fluff and riff-raff and remember what the heck its about. Of course I'm going to say that.

To the tune of what I was saying about gathering, I think that's a big part of it for me. The people. The fellowship that accompanies Christmas. Family. Immediate and extended. The love. Its so great! Again - it feeeels good.

Hey so I ate dinner at a family's house who has a boy out in the Boise Idaho mission! I told them, well he might just be eating dinner at my house tonight! Wouldn't that be something. But I guess he's serving in Caldwell. But if you run into an Elder Williams any time soon, I ate with his family this week. Some really talented string instrumentalist siblings. Gosh its just been a week of wonderful music!

Well there is so much more to say. So much more. I wish I could just tell you all about it. So many good people, good experiences, and so many challenges and moments of despair, and growth, and thoughts and insights. So many thoughts. I had a great insight this week about the purpose of life. I'm not going to get into it now, but gosh, so much about what people do... well, I guess the question is just What is the purpose of life? I've obviously got my "Mormon" answer, and it makes a whole lot of sense to me the more I learn about it and understand it. In fact its quite incredible. And I think to myself, if we all understood what on earth we are all doing here on earth, well that would make a world of difference in the way we all interact with each other and treat each other and act and behave and everything else. Wouldn't it? I won't get into it. But I wonder how many people give serious thought to that. Or how many people just don't care? How sad in my eyes. If there's no purpose, then what's the point? If there is a purpose, well, then what is it?! I guess I just feel like its not something that should be dismissed. There is an immense, even infinite amount of order in the world, and I can't imagine it would be whither by chance, or for no particular reason at all. How much would people benefit from knowing WHY. Right?!

Well, tis the season. Hope you're all well and surviving and enjoying life. I'm trying to make some Christmas cards today. So are you all skiing yet? I saw the huge dump you got a Thanksgiving. AWESOME! We had some ice yesterday. One ward canceled church! Crazy man, glad it wasn't the Avon ward.

Love you all so much! Sorry if I'm forgetting stuff!