WA Update

Family,

I am happy to hear that the warm weather stayed for so long in Utah.
It now sounds like winter has finally set in for you.  It hasn't snowed over here yet and I hope that it doesn't (we don't get to use our car in the snow, and covering a whole zone on foot isn't too convenient).  We do, of course, see rain most of the days though.  Ummmm, have no idea if I will be skyping on Christmas.  I haven't given it too much thought.  I don't think anyone even has skype in our branch except for the branch president.  We will see what happens.

Jake, I loved your photos! Both were epic!

This week has been crazy!  Last Tuesday we had a great training for all of the new missionaries and trainers at Mercer Island with President Larkin.  A full day packed to the brim with spirituality beyond belief.  I think everyone left that meeting having a stronger sense to do the work with all their heart, might, mind, and strength.  Early that morning we felt like after the meeting we needed to go tract in a an area of our zone that we haven't been to recently.  It is towards the very top and literally takes about 30 minutes by car to get there so we are not able to make it very often.  After the training meeting we took the short cut across Mercer Island to get there fast.  We were in the area driving, not really knowing the exact street we were needed on that day.  All of a sudden, I saw an apartment building out of the corner of my eye and felt the need to go there.  Weird because I had been there about 3-4 months ago and nobody even listened to us.  We get to the apartment, and I immediately feel that we need to go to the bottom floor to start.  One of the first doors we knock, we met a lady named Mirna who is from Honduras.  The Spirit truly guided us to her.  She opened the door with a huge smile on her face and started talking to us.  At first I thought she had to be a member already, but she told us she had talked to the missionaries when she lived in Texas about a year ago.  They had taught her multiple times and she had gone to English classes and church there.  We talked to her a little about the restoration (which she already remembered most of it).  She then told us she knew the Book of Mormon was true also and had lost her other copy when she moved...so we gave her another one!!!  Great lady. Now we have to find her a way to get to the church here.  She also works some crazy random hours, but she is willing to learn.

We haven't been able to get ahold of Benito this week. :(  I think that he got another full time job.  It is kind of what happened last time with him.  We would be teaching him regularly for a time, and then he would disappear for a time because he was working so much.  I think he does have to desires to come to church, but prioritizes work first.

We have a new zone leader in Renton who speaks a little bit of Spanish.  He was actually my district leader when I was in Auburn, so it is kind of weird how I seem to continue to work around the same Elders.  It has been good having him here because we have started to receive even more referrals with him being in the area.  Most of the missionaries can't even communicate with the Spanish people to get their addresses or anything and would just hand them a mormon.org card and that was the end of it.  The down part is all of these referrals are on that far side of the zone I was talking about before.  Haha, literally like 1 block away from the end of the zone.  Looks like we will have to start making more trips up there to follow up on these people.

God bless you all.  Merry Christmas!!!

Elder Ben