Week 21

HAPPY THANKSGIVING... Last week... it was a great thanksgiving here, I started the morning by going to the ward turkey bowl, I'm not allowed to play football, so I took all the kids and organized a game with them, I coached one team... we won. Naturally.

Can I just say that being a missionary is so much fun! ya know how everyone says its awesome and hard? or some say "It's the hardest thing you'll ever love" ... well... LIES, its not hard at all! It's too much fun to be hard, yeah there is a ton of rejection, and sure some investigators drop you, and its frustrating, but its so great! I love the culture of this mission, we are constantly trying to improve as a mission, and we have so much fun! I'm really excited for this week, we are all going to the Mesa Temple, as a mission! its going to be awesome! I haven't been to any temple other than the Boise Temple, the Provo one was closed when I was at the MTC. My job as a missionary is to talk to people, that's it! I just get to tell people what I know to be true, could life be any better? Plus I have the greatest friends here, my missionary friends are amazing! Elder Kavatoe still lives with me even though we aren't companions anymore. He's so funny. I am playing a violin duet with another Elder this Friday at a Zone Conference, so I've been able to have a violin with me for the past few days to practice. Every single prayer that Elder Kavatoe offers, he says "Please bless Elder Martin that his violin playing will get better, and that he will one day be professional" and goes on for about a minute and a half about my violin playing... I'm not sure if I should be offended or not. Last night he gave a ten minute prayer giving thanks for everything imaginable. A filibuster prayer. Elder Pearson, who is Elder Kavatoe's companion is a beat boxer, so we often sing the lion sleeps tonight with the beatboxing in the background.

Speaking of Elder Nuttall, we were tracting yesterday and a girl comes running out of her house screaming his name and runs and gives him a big hug! it was the funniest thing! We randomly decided to tract a street I've never even thought of tracting before, and it just so happens that his aunt and his cousin are staying there for thanksgiving, they were shocked, he was shocked... I was confused, at least at first. I had no clue what was going on for a second, her scream stopped me dead in my tracks and I was ready to bolt. But because of that, we found a less active family we can hopefully teach! also on that street we got a new investigator and 2 bags of home grown grapefruit! oh how blessed we are. That night we also were given a pie.

I had a really awesome story I wanted to tell, but I can't remember what it was, I remember writing it in my planner so I wouldn't forget, and then I forgot to bring my planner today.

Little Jason is wanting to be baptized! the 11 year old boy, we talked to his dad last week, and his dad told us that his son could follow any path he chose, and Jason told us "I want to be baptized 1 or 2 days after I go to church! sadly that can't happen, but he can certainly be baptized soon!

We've had some crazy people talk to us lately, telling us the most ridiculous beliefs. We talked two a couple of guys playing volleyball (different vein of thought now) and they said they'd come to church, but they didn't, and we even tried calling... argh, I don't know why I even told that story, it was fun though, we played volleyball with them for a minute (pepper).

Well that's all I can write today. Love you all, the church is true, I love the videos of the church! go watch them, they're awesome. Some are weird, but that's okay too.

Elder Jason Martin