Am I the only one who doesn't know what far out means? Found out this week that it's supposed to mean "cool". A less active member said it and I just looked at her like "whaaaat?" Just had to share. Okay okay okay, how's it going?! Shout out to Mama Banks real fast, thanks for the treats! They were gone in two days. And my Christmas package! Awesome awesome stuff. Ha confession... I didn't have the self control to wait. Sooo I kinda opened them all in one night. I got to have my Christmas about two weeks early! Lucky me! Because I saw the conference Ensign, and had to use that, and then the hot chocolate mix (which was like the 10th day?) ha no way I wasn't going to use that! Side note real fast, this weather out here is so weird. One night we were biking around and it was like 20 degrees. Everytime we went down a hill I could hardly see because my eyes would just water. Then two days later, it's up in the 50s! and it's stayed that way for this last week... but it's supposed to get cold again. Now you can see why I couldn't wait for that hot chocolate! Ha and then those sour patch kids.. man. It took all the control in me not to eat it in one day. So i finished it off in 3. I liked those little toy gun things, Elder Townsend and I would have wars in our apartment at night after planning. Then he stepped on his. So there goes that fun. And mom! O Holy Night CD. My goodness. Does the word magestic do it justice? I love it!
Last night we had transfer calls. I'm going to be staying here in the Noble/Purcell area, and Elder Townsend is going to blackwell, with Elder White, my mtc comp! Ha i got a good chuckle outta that. Elder Andersen, don't know who he is, other than the fact that he was Elder Townsend's father, (lingo for trainer) is coming here to be the District Leader. So I'll get to meet him on Wednesday. I just can't help but get the feeling that I haven't learned yet from this area what i'm supposed to. So I guess the Lord is letting me stay to try and figure it out! I honestly think though that he's trying to get me to be more faithful. As you know, the work here has been slow. Really slow. And through Elder Bowen's mission tour, and an interview with President Taylor, I keep getting rebuked by the spirit, because the theme always comes up "The Lord's hand is at work in your area. God has not pulled out of Noble." So I really need to humble myself and have more faith in God. It's really easy to say ohhhh the area's dead, nothing will happen, when the key indicators are going that way. It takes more to put your faith in God and know that he's preparing people, and we're here to find them, even if 95% of the the area is content with where they're at right now in life and their religion.
Elder Andersen sounds like a good missionary, he only has 3 months left. So I think we can get somethin goin this transfer. And I realized the other day that I haven't told you about our newest progressing investigator. Her name's W., she's around 80 years old. I think she let us come back because she's a nice old lady, but when we taught here the Plan of Salvation she agreed with it 100%. Her hang up is that she thinks that her baptism was valid, and there's no need to be baptized again. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she committed to read and pray about it, and she did so sincerely too. So I think that if she listens, she'll get her answer soon. The P. family, the one that we tracted into that got super close to baptism, keeps on dropping our appointments and doesn't answer their phones. It's really frustrating. He goes back to work this next two weeks, so we wont be able to talk to them for a bit. Personal opinion is that they don't want to give up their crutches yet. Smoking, chewing, and booze. It's insane how many people smoke here. So, next time we talk to them, whenever that is, we're just going to find out if they even want us coming back.
Fun fact of the day: Did you know Adam had a wife before Eve? Her name was Lucifer. And she was so jealous of Eve, so that's why she tempted her. Haha we heard that the other and I was just like "What the heck? Are you on something right now?" The lady who was telling us was dead serious too. She then lectured us on how we need to study the bible more, because it's allll in there. Thank goodness for a modern day prophet, who receives revelation from God for the Church. That right there just goes to show why we need to have a living prophet on the earth. I don't know why I'm going back to this but I just want to share a little tid bit I just had pop in my head. I'm not sure if I've shared it yet, but Alma 26:12 seems to be my theme scripture so far. And I think Heavenly Father wants me to put it in action now. Because I've always been like woww what a great scripture! But like I said, I can improve in so many ways. And when it says "in His strength I can do all things", I think that absolutely means what it says. So, my goal this transfer, which I'm getting, just you watch, is to get a baptism. Or to get a baptism set up for next transfer. So there it is. New transfer - new Elder Traasdahl! Gonna increase my faith and bam! Miracles will happen. That about sums it up though. I love each and everyone one of you!!! Thank you for your prayers, I really can feel the strength that comes from them. And I can't wait to call home! Ok, well again I LOVE YOU, annnnnd don't ever forget, the church is true through and through!!
Elder Traasdahl
P.S. Ha we got asked the other day in Jamba Juice "Do Mormons believe in Santa?" The things people hear!
