November 29, 2010 E-Mail

So it was sort of a slow week with the Thanksgiving Holiday.  We did our best to be as productive as possible, but not many people wanted to meet with us.  We ate with the Andersen family in our ward.  It was really good.  Then after that we went to another home and played games with them.  That was pretty fun.  I won a couple of gift cards so that was cool.  Then after that we went to a family that is in the spanish branch and ate with them.  It was really good.  Other than, they dished up our plates for us.  So we had a ton of food.  Then after that we went to another home of a recent convert in another ward and had some pie.  So we had plenty of food.  Then Friday night, we had another Thanksgiving dinner at the Pedersen's.  That was much better because I was able to enjoy it because I knew that it would be my only one.  So that was our Thanksgiving.  Then the Spanish Branch had a Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday night.  We got there late and all of the food was gone.  So that was okay.  We got to watch a baptism of a family of 4 after that.  So that was pretty fun.  That's pretty cool that Wade and Dennis are in the bishopric.  So is that the 4th ward?  I wasn't surprised to hear that either of them were in there.  You asked if I have been wearing that big down coat.  Nope, it's still in my suit case.  I think I'm immune to the cold.  For the most part I have just been wearing my suit and that's it.  The coldest it has been has been one night and it was like 5 degrees.  And that coat is huge.  So I haven't used it yet.  That was pretty crazy that newspaper article you sent me about the Cevering kid.  It was a really cool story.  I remember seeing the other kid at school when I was there.  That's way cool he saved his life.  I do have a pretty crazy story of something that happened the other day.  So Saturday we were tracting and there was this house with a couple of tow trucks parked out front.  So I though oh yeah I gotta knock that door.  So we went and knocked it and the guy was not friendly at all and basically just slammed the door.  Well we drove back by the house yesterday afternoon and there was caution tape tied around the house.  So I started to look close and the windows were all boarded up and you could tell the house had caught fire sometime after we had knocked it.  Then we were talking to Sister Pedersen's Mom, and she dispatches for the emergency stuff here, and she said the guy died.  So we were probably like the last ones to talk to this guy.  Then his house caught fire and I guess he was sleeping and didn't have any smoke alarms or anything so he died of inhaling smoke.  How nuts is that?  So that's a random story.  That lady who let us right in last week, Berta, well we were able to teach her again this past week then she came to church yesterday.  But it wasn't the best meeting for her to come too.  She came to the spanish branch and american people were speaking.  Well the one guy decided he was going to try and read a conference talk in spanish for his talk.  I felt bad for him cause he was trying but no one was paying attention because no one could understand him.  So it was sort of just a bad first sacrament meeting for an investigator to come to.  I just feel bad because the branch is doing the best they can with what they have.  They really are trying hard.  But anyways, I really hope Berta will give it another chance on a Sunday when things work out a little better.  Another story, some missionaries really dread knocking doors.  Especially after it's dark.  But we have been asked to do our best to find new investigators between 5:00 and 7:00 pm because that's when people are home.  Well it has been a struggle to get some of the missionaries to actually do that.  The first door we knocked on let us in.  And that hardly ever happens.  So that was pretty cool.  That was pretty much are week here.  I'm glad everyone back home had a good Thanksgiving.  I kept hearing about this crazy storm that was going to happen in Utah.  But it sounds like it never really happened.  Grandma asked if we ever have to teach the classes in church.  Tell her that in my last area we did, but here we don't.  This Thanksgiving made me realize how much God truly has given me.  I am so grateful for this church and for Joseph Smith and the courage he had to go through all that he did.  Without this church who knows where we would be.  So I truly am grateful for that and also that we have a living prophet here on the earth today.  I know Thomas S. Monson is called of God and that if we listen to him we will be given the instruction to keep us safe from the worldly dangers.  I hope you all have a good week!  Love Elder Schvaneveldt!