Pittsburgh Week 17

12/6/10
The Advent calendar is really fun! Thank you so much for sending it to me! I got the Christmas Tree, ornaments, the star, the cd, the hand sanitizer (much needed BTW), and the bar of soap today. We put the Christmas tree up on one of our old fireplace mantles in the study, and put a couple gifts next to it the we got from the ward! It was a pleasant surprise when the Ward Mission Leader came up and handed me and my companions a bag for Christmas! yay! So we have a couple presents.

As for transfers, I'm not exactly sure, but rumor is that I may be getting transferred. But that's just a guess coming from the Zone Leaders, so who knows. It's up in the air every time. But just to be safe, we'll play it like I'm getting transferred. I kinda get the feeling that I will be. I'll be sure and let you know asap!

My investigators are doing fine! Baily's living situation is starting to work out! She told us that her boyfriend has a couple job offers that are out of town and they seem pretty promising. She was way excited to tell us about that and we were ecstatic to hear about it! We don't quite have a baptismal date for her but once her boyfriend moves she'll be getting right in the water for sure! Our new investigator, Justin is pretty cool he didn't come to church this week or to any of the events that were happening this weekend (a baptism and a Christmas program put on by the singles ward). Which was a bummer, but we'll be working with him continually this week and help him to understand the gospel.

I'm as so excited to be able to talk to you! It seemed like it was not too long ago when I talked to you on Mothers day and thinking it was going to take forever for Christmas to come and lo and behold it's right around the corner! I cannot believe how fast these past 7 months have gone by! It's kinda scary how fast. Anyway I am was excited to be able to talk you the family! Ya! Anyway, this week. Not much happened that was outside of the ordinary.

This coming week though there is a "Mission Tour" happening and Elder Eduardo Gavarrett is coming from the quorum of the Seventy! So that will be exciting! Something also which is pretty cool, is: whenever there is a mission tour the General Authority that is coming will personally interview 3 or 4 elders one-on-one from the mission, and guess who was chosen to be one of them?? You guessed it! Me! So I have the opportunity to sit in a room with a Special Witness of Jesus Christ and talk with him about the mission. Wow. Intense. I'll let you know how that goes next week. Wish me luck.

Oh another thing that is cool. I started memorizing the church document, The Living Christ, put out by the First Presidency and the 12 apostles back in 2000. It's about one page; 2 columns; size 10 font. It's really awesome I have about 3/4 of it memorized. By next week I'll have all of it down! But until then that's about all for this week! 19 more days until Christmas! :)

Love,
Elder Benjamin