Nov. 5, 2012

Hey ya'll,

Wow there really changing it up back home! Looking at the ward I'm in now and the people in leadership I sure don't want any to get released.... they are all such strong members and work hard. I can see a little more of what you deal with now that I go to WC.

haha Halloween..... goodness haha got asked a bunch if we were pretending and dressed up but it was funny. Then for trunk or treat, we stapled pass along cards to candy and wrapped our trunk in toilet paper for decorations hahahahaha gotta love missionaries. There was this like 3 year old that was dressed like a bum and had a little shopping cart that said "will work for candy". It was hilarious! Think i got a picture of him in a non creeper way. sadly I'm trying to stay away from the candy haha I think so far I've gained 10ish pounds sense I left home in August...... wish it was all muscle haha

Speaking of grandparents can I get their addresses to write em?

Oh so next time ya'll send a package this way can you throw another pair of jeans in?  I was dumb and brought 1 pair.... just the wranglers in my drawer will work well. oh and maybe those Nike sweatpants. no rush just whenever you send a package. Thanks!!

So last pday wasn't a pday..... we had lessons and appointments all day long haha but oh well its for a good cause.

Today we were supposed to go to Santa Cruz but we left the Spanish elders in charge and well ya that's expected haha underline Spanish.... hahaha but i love em too just fun to poke fun at.

So the weather here is fantastic! the mornings can be a little chilly but its mostly high 70s all the way til 1-2 in the morning.

OHHHH FORGOT TO TELL YA!!!!!
Felt my first earthquake the other day. it was a 4. somthin outta Salinas. I thought it was noisy neighbors upstairs but nope it was a quake.

So we taught this girl end of Sept. and she totally wants to be baptized and is solid.... really great girl and then she like fell off the face of the earth for a month and now we are teaching her again and she still has that desire and still kept her commitments! One of the stumbling blocks was she had to wait til she was 18 but that happened last month so we just need to keep helping her progress! The work here in Hollister is still booming! The ward is the most missionary minded and most hard working and helping ward I've ever met. Everyone helps and knows everyone..... its fantastic everyone's so close, which makes it way easy to find people to teach mostly.  The youth as well just invite invite invite all their friends to activities and to hear the missionary discussions.... its way cool.

So the whole age change for missionaries means San Jose Mission gets 60 new  ones in the next 6 months. Most of the surge stays state side because of the difficulty in getting visas so the work in the US will progress rapidly. Plus they are thinkin about making 3 new missions in California so I might be sent elsewhere... which is no bueno I like Hollister way too much.

The other day I got Coke spilled all over me by a little one... haha... it was hilarious and the parents were so embarassed but I didn't care haha. Then this morning this guy frank (Frankies' dad) took us out to breakfast and I hadn't gotten in yet and they took off... haha.... I sat on a rock for like 5 min waiting for them to come back haha.

Oh so real big news! My comp had to go to San Jose for a leadership meeting and so I was left in charge of the area and I got paired up with another DL's comp who had been out a week and a half.   So I was "training" for a day. It was amazing we got along so well and we had a strong day..... course my comp stomped all over it but I thought it went real well.

Exchanges might be this week so it ll be another breather for me from the dreaded comp haha looks like I'll be going over to the Spanish branch again which will be so fun! This transfer is flying by.... I tell ya just yesterday it was October...ish haha

Well I'm glad ya'll are doing well. I've noticed I run out of steam about Saturday and am just dying for a nap on pday haha so the end of the weeks can be real tough but other than that its going good here.

I definitely wish I knew my doctrine and scriptures more. I didn't prepare as intensely as I should have and now am really struggling in teaching..... plus it's hard to teach with someone you don't like but all in all I am trying to learn the lessons and its real hard, but I'm expecting myself to teach like a missionary that's been out 19 months instead of a missionary who's been out 1ish... so I need to lower my expectations I guess..

Spiritual thought for the week.....

Alma 37..... the whole thing is great but really verses 8-9 talking about how small and simple things make great things come as long as we all are doing the small things, keeping the commandments, setting the example, following the example of Christ, reading our scriptures, going to church, praying, then the big blessings that our Heavenly Father promises us will come to pass.

Another little one I heard in sacrament meeting today which was fantastic.   I was really able to feel a strong spirit as well as feel the power and cleansing of the Atonement. It was for little things but still it was so powerful and gave me the answers and blessing I needed to receive and feel at that time. Our Heavenly Father is fantastic at giving us answers in the right way and time, which normally is not our time or way.  But that's because he knows better! but the little thought I heard from over the pulpit was that our testimony today is not the same as yesterday and will not be the same tomorrow.  It will either grow and develop and strengthen if we are doing the small and simple things and it can decay if we do nothing. but it will never ever stay stagnate.

Anyway those are my thoughts for the week. hope all is well with ya'll. Hope we are staying above water, and hope ya'll are staying warm!

Love
-Elder McAllister