Last week I went to go buy a Christmas tree for our apartment. So I went to this place where the boy scouts were selling trees. Guess where the trees were from? !
Our tree looks pretty good with lights and presents under it. I'm excited to open the packages I've gotten.
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I am getting transferred on Wed. so I don't know what we will be doing on Christmas day or what time I will call you. But I will be sure to call your cell phone. Tell Aunt Stephanie I said congrats!!
I will be serving with Elder Hardt (Heart) in Lawton, OK. That is in the same zone that Texas is in. I will be able to go to Texas on exchanges. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done in Texas, and some of the missionaries down there are struggling. When Elder Ali'ifua left me, he went to Texas to help some missionaries out. There has been a history of slacker missionaries in Texas, but a few years ago, it held the record for the highest baptizing area in the mission. So there is a lot of potential there!!
I am sad to leave Moore. We have an investigator (A____ who is so close to getting baptized! She just wants to think about a date while she is on vacation over the next few days. I hope I can come back for her baptism. I am going to miss teaching her.
Building the trust of others is so important! I like those scriptures you sent. I can see how that has worked with A___. You can tell when investigators trust you by the way they act in lessons and if they keep commitments. It is also very important to build the trust of the members. We saw that a ton in this ward when we told them what our goals were and our vision for the area.
This week has been so busy. We spent two days with some seinor missionaries, moving new stuff into our apartment and moving other stuff out because the AP's are moving into our apartment by Wed. The AP's were too busy to help us because they are opening up a new sister missionary area in the south zone. The Moore first ward will have the AP's and the Sisters in it. We are starting to see the big wave of missionaries begin to come!!
Elder Naisbitt (my trainer) goes home tomorow. It is sad to see him leave. I love that guy. He'll be home for Christmas. He lives in Hooper UT, a small town outside of Ogden. We are going to visit him in the mission home tonight before he leaves in the morning.
Good stuff is happening! There is always work to be done! Time is flying by for me! This was probably the fastest transfer of my mission. Elder Hanes and I had a lot of fun together.
I'll Talk to you on Christmas!
Love Elder Shumway
