Dec 26

Dear Family (and anyone else you made be listening in),

Thank you! Thank you all for you wonderful spirit, and love, and support, and friendship, and happynesses! You are all awesome!  Thanks to all who sent me letters and cards and packages, and love for Chrisrmas and even for my entire life! Were would I be with out all ya'll?! Please, all those who are listening, make sure that those who aren't listening knows of my graditude for them.

Yesterday was awesome! We had an investigator at church! Not just one of those part-member-non-members, or just a some one who happens to be visiting a member so they tagged along and they really live in some other mission far far away. Nope. A real investigator that WE found and WE taught and WE invited and SHE came! She came! Do you know the return rate of invites to church? or even the return rate of people with rides lined up for church? Or how many people say "I'll come to ya'll church this week" or "I'll try" and then don't? My personal favorite one is "I'm ain't gon'na make no promises". But this one said that she'd come, AND SHE CAME! On her own! No wake up call, no ride, nothing! And she came! Even thought the roads were icey and we were only having sacrament meeting, and half the active branch wasn't even there, but she was! And the members (that were there) were SO happy to say "our missionaries had an investigator at church this week." She was even invited to a members house for dinner this Wednesday. And she hugged every member on her way out the door. I don't even care that we had to walk around all day yesterday in the freezing snow and that we had 3 appointment bonk us and thus all we had left was knocking doors in the snow. Who cares?! Ravin was at church!

Appart from that everything is great! I had a great Christmas! I recieved packages from Mom and Dad, the Campbells, Whitney Redford (soon to be Billings), and Grandmother Dorthy (and many others for the whole clan). Thank you all SO much! Enjoyed evey one! I just wish I had money to send ya'll some packages. I'll write you.

So what else? ah... That might be it. My voice has been shot for the past weeks. Pretty much just be for I left for my training to Chattannooga. It's been gone since then.

Love you! thank you!
elder von sowards!