Week 12 - Hello Hello Hello!

I do hope each of you had as an uplifting week as I have!! Hopefully nobody has had as a tiring week though! I'll tell you this much, missionary work doesn't just get easier, in fact it probably gets harder and harder. The harder you work, the happier you are, but the more exhausted and drained you are! What do you do though right? I love doing it!

Our investigators are all progressing like we had hoped. Still nobody on date, we are working on that! We've done a lot of finding trying to find another investigator! Trying to find that "golden gator".. that will just take more time! But we do still have the 4 progressing so that is a good thing. We are working with two people on the Stop Smoking Program. The one guy last week was going to start, but he got cold feet. He started today though! We told him that this was the best thing he could do for his life and family and he just had the desire, hopefully he accomplishes this! The woman we are working with has been trying to quit for like 8 years but no success. She started last week, lasted a day, then gave in. We started it all back up again though yesterday! So far so good, we will see how it goes though! Pretty cool though with her. She talked about how we were the absolute answers to her prayers. She was in a dark place, faith was down, and then we knocked on her door. She has felt the spirit so strong recently with our visits and she knows she needs the gospel back in her life! It's phenomenal!

The ward is progressing so well up here, they are more and more excited about missionary work each week. Yesterday we had a ward fast for missionary work. The testimony meeting we had was one of the most spiritual meetings I think I have ever been up to. It was incredible. I can't hardly describe the feelings that were felt. The ward has changed so much since i've gotten here, I love it. A ward that is willing to work is directly correlated to missionary success, I can testify to you the power in that statement. I know it to be true!

We have been really busy lately. I have made sure of it! No new "gators" this week. :( Which is a bummer! I want a new family to teach so bad!! 

We have done something really awesome that I thought was a good idea. So we go through our area book and we try and find old investigators and see if they want to reinvestigate, or we try and contact more people off the ward list (which is shrinking because of bitter people) or just going to appts.. Well what we do is after the initial task we talk to every single person we see around the street. Also we knock on doors of every one of their neighbors. It's an easy way to have different finding opportunities, which in an outlying area with only 4,500 people living there is a necessity to get creative! I so badly want to find more people to teach! Everyone needs to know of the power and truthfulness of this gospel! It truly has the power to change lives and bring the joy and hope that can help through any situation in life. It's hard knowing so much, loving the gospel so much and having the desire to tell everyone, but nobody wants to listen!

I've been studying a lot in the New Testament, along with my Book of Mormon reading, and the i've loved reading more about the things Christ himself taught. The sermon on the mount is powerful! Something that has made it even better are the bible videos on mormonchannel.org. Now how many of you could say you have actually gone to the site and looked at any of the videos the church has put out? I know they are extra cool to me because that is all the T.v. I get, however they truly are so powerful! Look into it!

Anyways, I hope you have all had a great week! Keep reading and praying! I know that prayers are answered! No matter what the matter may be, Our Heavenly Father is waiting and wanting to help. He knows what we need before we ask for it, we must simply knock. You are all amazing people. Continue to rely on the Atonement of our Savior and Redeemer and I promise you that you will find your joys grow, your love expand, and peace in your soul. Feast upon the words of Christ. Cherish the opportunity it truly is to live in These Latter Days. We are a blessed generation. There are things that each of us need to accomplish. Never take for granted the blessing we each enjoy. Be faithful. Endure to the End. When times are tough, fall to your knees and plead for the strength that can only come through this gospel. I love you all so very much. I'll talk to you all so soon. 

Love, Elder McFall