Approaching 6 month mark!

Well hello everyone,

I can't believe we are already in the middle of March. I am approaching my 6 month mark. I can't believe I have been out for this long. It seems like yesterday I was going in the mtc. I have been in the field for over 3 months already. the work is progressing and we are working hard each day. I am really growing a lot and learning a lot about myself. this week has brought some great surprises and some funny moments.

Tuesday 3/9

This was my last day with elder Deloach. It is kind of sad to see him leave because we have been together for 3 months. As a going away party we went to big Al's for a party type thing. It was so fun. We bowled played video games and ate a ton of pizza. It was a great way to end the time we had together. That night we sat and talked about the fun times we had together. I wrote as many down in my journal as I could remember and it took up like a whole page. He is a great missionary and I learned a lot from him. Now is the time for a new chapter in my mission journey.

Wed 3/10

So elder Baker came today. He is an awesome guy. He is from southern California and is a great missionary. We have been working hard for this whole week and we have seen the results. that day we took a little time to get to know each other, get settled in and then we were had a few appointments to go to that night. We had one of the best lessons we have had with Judith. We were bold with her and just told it how it was. The spirit was there as we bore testimony of the gospel. We didn't realize that she wasn't sure what the spirit felt like so I explain to her the joy she had been feeling while she read and prayed, that is the spirit testifying to her. It was a great lesson and I can't wait to meet with her again this week.

Thursday 3/11

So we had a really good first full day together. We got right out and worked hard. Of course to welcome elder Baker into the area it rained so hard all day. We were wet all day and it was cold. It is one of those wonderful things about Vancouver Washington. We have lucked out for the past little bit and the rain has slowed down a lot. The sun has been out and it is warming up. Flowers are blooming all over and I love this time of year. So on Thursday we had a 2 part story happen. The final part happens on Friday. So we stop by this referrals house. Her name is Shari. We had tried to get a hold of her for awhile. We didn't get a hold of her this day so we left a card for her with our name and phone number. And left it on her door. Okay now we will go to Friday.

Friday 3/12

So part 2. We decided that we would try one more time this week to get a hold of Shari. I don't even know why we wanted to stop back by. So we hear the door opening and the first thing she said to us was we must have read her mind. We weren't quite sure what she meant but then she said that she saw our card and wished we had come back on Friday to see her. We did come back she is an amazing lady. She has a testimony of the gospel and said she would be baptized. I am so excited. We are going to teach her all the things and I think she is sincere about being baptized. I wish you all could have seen the smile on my face when she said yes. I just love the people of this area so much and it just brings me such joy to see them progress in the gospel. We are going to set a date with her this week on when she wants to be baptized and go from there.

Sat 3/13

It always seems like after a good day there is a slow day. We saw a bunch of people but nothing big happen. We did have a funny story. We were walking around and this guy said "will you answer a question for us, preaching or selling" we said "preaching". Then we asked if he had talked to the missionaries. He just flipped us off and laughed. Then we asked if we could help him with anything. He said " "ya you can F!*k off". He thought he was so cool in his leather jacket and his old beater truck. We just laughed and went on. It was just funny and we hoped we made him feel better. Ha-ha I love when people think they are so cool. Especially the 50 year old guys who tell 19 year old kids to F!*k off. Ha-ha. That’s about all that happened on Saturday

Sun 3/14

It was a good Sunday. We had a good time at church and time after church. We met with a few people but we are finally reached our goal of lessons taught this week. I was really excited to get to that point. It showed that the work is going well and it is progressing. My spirits are high and I am really getting into the swing of things. I am becoming more confident every day and I really enjoy the work. I have test of faith each day and I know that this church each is true. Each time I have one of those times, it builds my testimony.

Monday 3/15

Mondays are always hard to do because people seem to get grumpy on Mondays. We met with a few set appointments but we had a few others cancel. I got a new bike to borrow. It is old school. Like really old school. I can't Wait to ride it around. Its name is HUFFY. I just think it is funny. We had some really good meetings today. We had a chance to sit down with the bishop and discuss the things that the ward really needs. It will help the work move forward in this area. Invitation Sunday is coming up this week and it will be good.

Well this is my week in review. Everyone stay safe and know I love you.

Replace fear with faith and live without regrets.

Love,

Elder draper