Week 39

Hey y'all! It's been another great week here in the beautiful East Texas region. The country here is some of the prettiest you can find (in my opinion). Of course I haven't been may places, so my opinion really isn't all that great.

I am, however, really starting to get used to life out here. There are a lot of service opportunities for us, and I have learned how to drive a tractor among other things. It's fun and I really think it would be fun to be on a farm for a while. There are so many good people out here, too. It's fun because sometimes people will talk to you about absolutely nothing. Weather, food, neighbors, religion, politics. It's great! A lot better than the city "I don't have time for you" approach and then the slamming the door shut. I much rather prefer this method.

Sadly, this week did not go as well as the last. We haven't been able to meet with Mike and Allison at all this week and are hoping to see them tonight, but we are not sure if they will be there (we tried calling them but they didn't answer) so we will see what happens (hopefully something good). We also were not able to find nearly as many people to teach, although we did get a lot of people that told us we could come back and talk to them. Those are always interesting and fun, so we will definitely see what happens. We are seeing Dillon, Shannon, and Scott tonight, so we'll see how that goes as well.

Elder Davis and I also realized there is something we are missing. We've got good resources, a good ward, and we know there are people to be taught here, but somehow we are still missing something. We've decided that it's something within ourselves and that we need to change. We are attempting something called the 40 Day Fast, in which we basically figure out everything that detracts from or pokes at the Spirit, write them all down on a list, and for 40 days, we will not do anything that appears on that list. It will be very difficult, but it will be worth it. If it is done right, our basic desires will have changed, we will have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, and we will be more powerful and effective servants of the Lord.

I am excited to see how it works and to let y'all know how it goes. I hope y'all have a great week!!

Love,

Elder Grondel