Elder Waddell 4-23-12

Hermano Morales teaching Elders how to make salsa

Hey! Thanks for the email. This week has been interesting like most of the weeks on a mission. This one was more because it was Elder Samuelsons last full week. So there were a lot of goodbyes and stuff like that. He's been in this area two different times with a total of 16 months. That's a while. ha We got our transfer calls and Elder Thorne and I are called to stay and Elder Samuelson was given the next step, get married. haha so that was fun. I've done a pretty good job this week of not comparing the months I have left to his days. So it hasn't been too bad. It helps that he's an incredibly focused missionary. Let’s see... so what happened this week? Not too much. Oh yeah sooo they have POG in the stores here. We bought all that they had last week. And we're going to do it again, delicious. My Spanish is slowly improving. It's good to be in a trio because I get to hear them speaking it all the time. But at the same time it makes me more nervous to speak it to other people in lessons in stuff. But now I won't have a choice since it will just be the two of us ha. Oh yeah happy anniversary, almost, to you and dad! I think we're taking some people on what's called their "greenie tract" the new missionaries are getting off the plane today and we're going to take them to knock a few doors for their first time. So that'll be fun maybe. We had quite a tracting experience this week. 3 things that hadn't happened to me yet happened all in less than an hour ha. The first one wasn't that weird but I guess since I was in Ketchikan and knew all the members on the Island it makes sense it never happened to me but we tracted into some members. So that was pleasant. Then a few doors later I was about to knock on the door when it swung open. Normally when that happens nothing good follows. But this time it was a missionary.... ha, some of the Elder's from the Samoan ward were talking with some members in that house. That was a first for Elder Samuelson too so that was cool. And the third new thing wasn't as cool, it was more sad. I should've said it in between those two but that's not the order that it happened. The third one, to make a short story shorter, was just a guy that tried to spit on us among other things and words. So,  three experiences to remember. There will be many more with that too. So recently I've become more and more aware of how much the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation has helped me in my life. I think I really took it for granted growing up. I never really had to question why I was here and I never had to be scared about what would happen after death. I never had to worry that at some point I would be looking for ways out of the life cycle. But now talking and seeing so many people who just have no idea where they're headed why they're going there or how to do it has given me a little more of a drive to share that knowledge. I know that If I didn't have a knowledge of that plan I would be succumbing to the weaknesses of flesh all the time. I wouldn't care. I wouldn't know why I should care. I would live for me. Look out for number one. It also gives me a greater respect for those who don't know these things and yet live better lives than I would if I didn't have this knowledge. The key to this plan or the key that's worked best for me at least so far to going on in life with a real purpose and with real happiness is letting the atonement work. I've just decided I'm going to randomly share life lessons I've been learning. Sorry if it's lame or preachy, but it's true and I become more and more thankful for it every day. Love you guys. All is well in Zion.

Elder Waddell