August 15, 2011

Dear family,

1. I am jealous you are going to the Sacred Grove/ New York.

2. But I am happy you are going to the Sacred Grove/ New York. So much fun!

3. This week has been awesome.

Well hey there! I just love seeing new emails in my inbox on preparation day! You do care about me. Haha just kidding around :) Don't worry - I don't ever wonder if you care about me or love me. I can tell from every letter that you just miss me more than anything. Having a captive audience sure is great! I could get used to this...

Mom: I'm alive. I'm fed. I'm happy. I'm working hard. The church is true. The end.

But really, I'm doing well ;) I couldn't be more happy and tired at the same time. Just like that Elder on the district I am seriously always tired. But I'm so happy! How does that work?! Well, I guess everything is possible through the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

This week was a lot cooler than the week before. It rained every other day, so the temperature never really got above the 90's. Everyone's happy around here because before it rained last week, the area had been going through a drought. Now everything is green and beautiful. It's more humid, but it hasn't got back into the 100's yet so it just feels great. I'm actually starting to really like the humidity... It's cool now, but I love the sign we passed by the other day in front of a church. It says: "Think it's hot now? Think eternity." I sure got a kick out of that :) If we pass it again, I'll have to take a picture. Every church around here has a sign on it's front lawn. They always have a funny message to display.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I went on back to back exchanges with the Zone leader (Elder Thomas) and our district leader (Elder Herrin). It was so much fun! I got to pack some extra clothes and stay overnight at their apartments. I learned a lot from both of them (they both are getting close to the end of their missions), and they gave me a lot of awesome advice for the rest of my mission. Elder Thomas is originally from Denver, Colorado, and he was really nice. We visited a lot of people, and since he has such a large area (down in Fayetteville and over in Huntsville) and is a Zone Leader, he has a car. Ooooooohh yeah! It felt so nice to ride in a car after biking for what seemed like the distance around the earth. We visited some REALLY nice houses, but nobody was too interested to what we had to share. Contrast that with some of the areas in Springdale, where it can get pretty ghetto. Elder Herrin is a Spanish-speaking elder, and we visited some pretty humble homes. I can only imagine going to another country where the houses are even worse! It was actually kind of awkward the whole day I was with Elder Herrin because I don't know any spanish. Each time we visited somebody I just sort of sat there on the couch and smiled and nodded my head and said "oh... si". Haha I laugh just thinking about it right now :)

Another cool thing - while I was with Elder Thomas, we took a quick tour (in the car) of the University of Arkansas. We were able to pass by all of their athletic facilities, which I loved, of course. The football stadium is HUGE! They sure don't kid around down in SEC country. Razorback fans down here are a rabid, die-hard bunch. I can't tell you how many Razorback liscense plates I've seen. It's a big deal. People can't wait for the season to start, and I could only imagine the kind of atmosphere Razorback stadium has at kickoff. Man, I miss college football!

This week was also a very successful week when it comes to investigators, lessons, etc. Ashley wasn't offended or discouraged when we had to reset her baptismal date, and she was able to have her baptismal interview on Saturday. She'll be getting baptized this coming Saturday! I feel like Heavenly Father has answered our prayers, and Elder Navratil and I are sure happy campers. Especially because Ashley's friend - Nicole - is now very interested in the church. She is a former Jehovah's Witness and she sorta came out of nowhere. She wants to learn as fast as possible, even to the point where it's a little frustrating. But we can't be more happier that we set a baptismal date with her last Saturday. She is so excited and she doesn't know why. Isn't that amazing??! Some people truly are prepared for the gospel, and we feel blessed to have someone like Nicole to teach. We were also able to set a date with a woman named Lisa. She wants to be baptized, and we couldn't be more happy to get her ready. Man, things are going well!

Church was super awesome. Elder Navratil and I taught the Gospel Principles class because the teacher was out of town, and it was amazing! Ashley and Nicole were both there, and I can tell they both felt the spirit.

Dang, I'm out of time. I had a bunch more to say, but that'll have to wait until next time. Thanks for writing me and stay happy! I know the church is true and I love it with all my heart.

Love, Elder Atkin