Tuesday August 9, 2011

Switching places - Juan teaches the missionaries about planking
Proudly showing off his farmer tan
Calgary is soaked in a sudden summer storm...
flooding everywhere...
but every storm has a rainbow!
Tomorrow marks the end of the road for Elder Rudd! Elder Rudd was Ryan's first comp in the field and Ryan was Elder Rudd's last.

Good morning family! Dang sounds like everyone had a blast on the trek! I am so glad everybody survived and had a great experience! It sounded like lots of hard work but rewarding in the end. My week was not as great as yours probably haha. It was just rough trying to get in with investigators and keep them progressing. Elder Rudd is going home tomorrow. It was really great to serve with him again, but really tough too because it was his last transfer. But I am excited for the next few months and look forward to the opportunities that will come my way! So I will be staying in the same area! I am training another new missionary here in downtown! (They split up downtown and the west stake again so it makes more sense that way). I am the only zone leader so it'll be a challenge that but I'm up for it haha. Also the church has come out with a new Training Program for trainers. Over the next 12 weeks I have to follow this specific schedule in training my new missionary. We are going to get portable DVD players in the apartments so we can watch training DVDs with our greenies. Companion study is also 2 hours now for new missionaries!! Crazy! I am going to attach the article about it. Should be an experience!

The week was alright, not much to report but here you go: We have not been able to contact Ricardo who has a baptismal date for this Sunday, which is scary. He is has been back and forth in Edmonton helping out his sister. We are praying we can get a hold of him today and figure things out. We met a new couple from Colombia in English class this week, and taught the husband yesterday. It was a really great lesson, but he declined to set up a return appointment. We will keep working with him, they are very humble and receptive to the spirit. So in my area, we have this Colombian couple, Edgar and Gloria, and Francisco, a Mexican man married to an inactive Canadian. Patricia has basically dropped off the map, which is super sad. We are going to have to shift our focus to finding in this next transfer to get out teaching pool up.

Couple random crazy things this week: So I had sushi for the first time in my life, and it was pretty good! It did not bother me too much. I actually want to hit up some sushi bars in Cali! Also, there was a freak rain/hail storm during the week. The whole city was completely flooded. Good times in Calgary. Also Rocky has an interview with the stake president tonight for the Melchizedek priesthood! He has been a member for just 6 months but Bishop says he is ready. They almost always make new members wait one year to receive the Melchizedek priesthood. It's just been such a blessing to become his friend the last 6 months. That's funny Mom, I had never heard of planking before actually! Juan was telling us about it and it was the first time I had heard of it. I am sure it is the cool thing to do, but obviously being shut out from the world it doesn't make sense to me haha just sayin. And funny trek story about Brock, he is a funny man! I hope you gave him that hot dog Mom ;) Yeah I really want to see all of my pics from the beginning of the mission! I will ask Marisol about it.

Maddie! Thanks for telling me about your summer! You crack me up! Sounds like you have so many good things going on, and that makes me happy :) That is awesome that you are going to ride Everest without crying! Go on it twice, once for me please haha. Have fun in Orlando. I love you and miss you! See you in 10 months!

Hey Nick! What's up buddy!? Wow weather is looking good here! Yeah I want to get the new Kobes so bad haha. I think we went to Hearst Castle a longgg time ago, so I really don't remember anything about it. I have had 5 baptisms so far, but hopefully more are on the way! Thanks for everything Nick I love you!

Well everyone that is all I got. I am excited for what the Lord has in store for me this transfer with my new trainee! Take care and have a great week!

Love, Elder Draper