IT'S A GREAT NEW YEAR!

Elder Scottie, Waltra Lindhorst, Dona Smith, Elder Curtis
Baptism, 1 January 2011

1/04/11

Well, Happy New Year!,

I hope your celebrations were great and that every one stayed safe. This time of year is so great to start anew and work on making ourselves better people. I hope you all made New Year’s resolutions and are still sticking to them.

This week was a fantastic week for many reasons. During this week I have been trying to get adjusted to my new area and settling in to my new living situation. That part was a little tough because we usually stay at Joe and Elena Solomon's home, but they had their grandkids in town from Spokane. When the grand kids come we get the boot. Luckily we have a wonderful Stake President who allows us to stay in their home for a little bit. So for the first part of the week I was able to spend time with Kelly Brown and his wife. This is another case on my mission of the world being way to small. I may have mentioned in previous emails that President Brown grew up on the same street as my mom and he knows the whole Rogers side of my family. It was fun to sit and have him tell me stories about my grandpa and my uncles and the crazy adventures they had. We were able to spend New Year’s Eve with them as well. The funny thing is that the Browns were having a "little" get together that night with friends. When we came home that night we snuck in. You would think I would have stayed up with all the noise and stuff but Elder Lemperle and I were both passed out by 10:45. Those times came to an end though and we moved back into the Solomons a couple of days ago. It is nice to get all my bags unpacked and have a place to call home for a little bit.

The missionary work was awesome this week as well. Elder Lemperle and I have been trying to find a lot of new investigators and get the work going more. Doesn't that just sound like the story of my mission? I think I have written that same line every time I have been transferred to a new area.

Yesterday we had an hour to go tracting. It has been freezing here (like nothing above 20 degrees) but we decided to go out anyway. The sun was shining and we didn't think it was that cold so we just decided to wear our suit coats. We decided to knock this apartment complex and the doors just happened to all be in the shade. As we knocked on those doors I have never been so cold in my life. It was a good faith building session though because we still kept going even though not one person answered the any of the twenty four doors we knocked. You just have to keep working and you will find them.

The last time I tracted in the bitter cold we were able to find two of the best investigators I have ever taught, Dona and Waltra. It just so happened that they were baptized this week. It was so fun to still be able to come to the baptism and to still be able to baptize them. It was such an amazing experience to be down in the water with them. We were a little worried about the water being warm enough because the elders filling the font didn’t have the heater on the whole time, but it was plenty warm. Dona is eighty three years old and we were a little worried about it. Elder Curtis was the one that said the pray but I was down in the water helping out as well. She almost didn't make it all the way under because she kicked her leg up but luckily it went back down so we didn't have to redo it. As she came back out of the water I could hear her saying "thank you Lord" over and over. It was fun to be a part of their conversion and see the blessings come in to their lives. It was funny as this little frail eighty three year old was going up the stairs to the changing room, she had the biggest smile and she just says "I'm all wet!". Waltra did great and everything went smoothly with hers. I was able to perform the baptism for her and then I was the one who confirmed Dona the next day. That has been one of the coolest experiences on my mission; that of finding someone that was prepared and then seeing them progress through the whole process. Now it is just waiting the year for them to go to the temple. I hope I get to do it again soon.

Those are really the big things that happened this week. I have just been seeing people and getting to know the area. The area that we cover is huge because we have the singles branch for this whole area and the McKay Creek Ward has a lot of farm land in it. Everything is going great though.

I am trying to read through the Book of Mormon again right now. I am in Mosiah right now and I have noticed a theme that King Benjamin uses a lot in his sermons. He uses the words "whole souls" a few times and as we serve with our whole souls that we will be blessed. Those two words can apply to any situation that we are in. As we are going about each day we need to make sure that we are living our lives with an eye single to the glory of God and following the commandments with our whole soul; not just part of it or picking and choosing which ones we want to follow, we need follow all of them. The blessings that come are worth it and if we do what we are supposed to do we will receive eternal life. In Mosiah 6:15, it talks about how we each need to be steadfast and immovable. We each need to take this scripture to heart and really apply it.

I hope you have a wonderful week. Enjoy the New Year and replace fear with faith. If we do this, nothing will stop us from accomplishing our New Year’s resolutions and achieving our goals.

Love,

Elder Draper

P.S. It has been so cold up here to. The other day when we were driving to Walla Walla it was three below zero. We have to do a lot of driving as zone leaders because our zone is like an hour and fifteen minute drive from one side to the other. It has been kind of slow but that is good.

Here is another cool experience that I forgot to write about---

We both got this impression that we needed to go see this recent convert named Amos. He hasn't been coming to church for a long time and is getting back into his old ways. So we show up on Saturday and it just so happens that has been reading a book of testimonies that was given to him at his baptism. He went on to tell us how he has hit rock bottom and is just looking for help. He notices how the Spirit has left his life and he wants it back. It is just another case of being lead to those people who need help and the Lord trusting us with those promptings. He came to church on Sunday and also to FHE on Monday. He is doing great and I am just grateful that I was able to be there at the time he needed it.