Blessed Be The Name Of Our God: Dec. 7, 2015 in Catawba, South Carolina, Elder B__

Hey family!

This week was pretty grand, and really really ridiculously busy (again)! We taught quite a few people, not quite as many as we had hoped, but it was still good. I don't have long to write today, because unfortunately Elder B___ is being transferred. :( Tis sad.

I also found out that I will be training this transfer!! I'm super excited and super humbled/nervous I guess. Anyways so we will be super busy today but I do want to tell a couple quick stories.

R___ is great, she is sad Elder B___ is being transferred but she is super excited for baptism. She is having her interview this coming Friday :) We are going to try to get permission for Elder B___ to come back from wherever he is transferred for the baptism. She loved the Christmas devotional last night. :)

We had a zone meeting this Friday and I sang a solo while Elder B___ played the piano. While on the topic of music, we were also putting together a bunch of hymns for the missionaries to sing at an upcoming Nativity Festival deal. But we are going to need to find a new piano player. Hopefully my new comp is musical! We are also singing in the ward choir, and Elder B___ was an awesome base, so he will be missed. The songs we are doing are way fun! I love music :)

My third story combines the music theme and the baptism theme. On Saturday night, the Charlotte South and Gastonia stakes had a combined presentation of Handel's Messiah, and we found out super last minute that we could go. We showed up and turns out some friends from our ward invited us to sit with them, so that was perfect. It was also fun, because the C___'s were there, as well as the Dad's friend from Lifetime, Brother B___, and a couple other members from past areas. A sister from Huntersville was the first string violinist for the whole thing, and I saw her husband there too. Well, about half way though, Elder B___ had to use a restroom. As we were walking out to the doors, I saw a man kind of turnaround in his seat and when he saw me, he waved. Turns out it was Johnny!!! :D (for those of you who don't know, Elder S___and I got to teach and baptize him in Huntersville, and I haven't seen him in a year) I immediately ditched Elder B___ and went and sat and talked with him for a while. We hooked up again with the Huntersville members and him (they had given him a ride) at the end and got to talk a bunch. It was too fun! As we were riding home, I remember thinking "that is what missions are about." :)

We had a couple other good things happen this week. Brother S___ didn't come to church but he will be there next week. Also Sister H___ told us that her son really liked Elder B___ and I when he had met us. She said that he said "I like those 2, they aren't pushy. I think I will talk to them about taking the lessons again." So that was super good news! We hope it goes well with him, we are supposed to see them Wednesday or Thursday. :)

I have loved getting to show A Savior is Born to everyone this last week, it is such a great video. I love the Christmas season, and the gift of Jesus Christ. What an exciting and special time to be a missionary!

So anyways, that was my week. We did have a district activity today that was fun :) We made a Christmas village thingy of sorts, had a pie eating contest, and did a gift exchange. I got bath salts and a Christmas rubber ducky! Twas the best gift I believe.