I hope each of you are doing great! I love you all so much and am so glad for the inspiration and example each of you are to me from so far away. Thank you for your prayers and for each of the emails and letters that I receive weekly. I am extremely grateful for them and for the wonderful blessing it is for me to have each of you in my family.
This week has been absolutely wonderful. To start, we had zone conference on Tuesday. It was great. At the start of each zone conference there is a slideshow of all of the baptisms that have occured in the past 3 months, I saw myself twice with two of my investigators - but now recent converts! Luisa and Miguel are going to be GREAT members! I am excited for them to progress in the gospel and see how it will change their lives. It sure has changed mine. Never in a million years would I have expected myself to be a MISSIONARY for a church that I love so much. I have the opportunity to share something I adore with other people, what a blessing - right?! Anyways, so with zone conference they really emphasized on talking with everyone. Everyone is a potential investigator and has a chance to receive the gospel if you are willing to talk to them. If I try, then I will see results, so I am trying my best to be courageous and talk to everyone. I get rejected a lot, but a lot of the times I plant the seed or at the least show the person that I am a regular, masculine, handsome guy deep down. ;)
On Wednesday I went on an exchange with the district leader's companion. Normally it happens around twice a transfer that we go on exchanges. The person I was with is very shy and doesn't like to talk too much, but I got him to open up really well. He wouldn't stop talking by the end of the night! It was really great to see him talking, laughing, and just having a good time. He and I had a lesson with this guy named Thomas. He is a heavy smoker and drinker, and probably has the worst sailor mouth I have ever heard. I couldn't believe how many cuss words he was saying left and right, even after asking him to stop several times. He was genuinely interested, but we told him if we are going to come back, he needs to make some changes with his choice of words. BOOM!
So the Christmas Devotional of the First Presidency was last night and it was amazing! Did you all get to watch it? I loved it so much! I really love something that President Uchtdorf said, "Every gift, especially when a gift from the heart, when received with excitement and gratefulness, will strengthen the bonds of love with that person." What an amazing quote, and promise! Though not word for word with what he said, that is the jist of it. I am going to try and accept every gift, no matter how small or how large, with excitement, love, gratitude, and thanks. A quote I love that President Monson said was, "True happiness only comes by making others happy." How true that statement is! I have become so much more happier out here on the mission because I am trying my best to help others discover how happy this gospel can make them, many have seen it and are coming closer to, or have already entered, the waters of baptism! What a great site it is to see.
I love you all so much, keep being amazing and keep working hard! Whether it be school, cleaning the house, or playing with Choma, work hard! Give Choma my love! I miss that pup! Did you happen to send pictures with the package? And I will record me opening the package, I am doing that from now on. Good memories.... Also, when would be a good time Christmas day to call? We need to start setting that up now so I know and can tell a member if we can come over at that time. Also, I would prefer to Skype!!
Love you all!
Elder Alexander J Annand
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