The Work is Finally Starting to Progress!

WHAT IS UP FAM?!

Wow that is so crazy that Kylie is going to college already. Who are her roommates in the towers? Any that went to EA last semester? I probably will know them! Kate good luck with the campaigning! You have my vote! So how was your last week everyone? Is ryan excited for his scrimmage? what positions is he playing? Man this last week was pretty crazy. We had our interviews with President Petersen and that was pretty cool. The sister missionaries and Elder Boyer made me put gel in my hair before my interview because they said they are sick of me not doing anything to it so I did and I was complaining about having to do my hair to sister Petersen and asked if she liked it and she said "If you weren't one of my missionaries I would say you were hot but you are on of my missionaries so I am just going to call you handsome!" ha ha so that's my claim to fame on the mission! Anyways the interview was good! We had to teach in front of him which was kinda scary though, but it went well! During the interview President didn't tell me anything about transfers which are coming up next week! But he told Elder Boyer 3 options for me and  through much torture and interrogation I got the truth out of Elder Boyer. 1. I could be training in this area.  2. Elder Boyer and I could both stay. 3. I could be getting transferred to somewhere around Memphis. Those are the options Pres. told Elder Boyer. crazy stuff. If it were up to me I would want to stay here! I love Searcy and the people here so much. I want to at least be here for the first 6 months of my mission. My feeling is though that I will be transferred to somewhere in Tennessee. Anyways this last Wednesday we got 2 of our investigators, C and B, out to play basketball with the ward. They loved it! They were scared of coming at first because "ain't no color in da mo'mon church," in other words they were the only black guys. But our ward is the bomb at fellowshipping and they loved meeting everyone! Afterwards C told us that he felt different when he walked in the building. He said he felt like he was at home and that everyone there was his best friends. C is a really good guy. He is so good at basketball too. Me and him were on the same team the whole night and it was sweet. Elder Boyer and I go and teach C and his wife j about 3 times a week. C should already be getting baptized but we just figured out he is on probation! which means he has to wait like 6 months or something! So frustrating. The way we figured it out was we were going to take him out to North Little Rock for stake conference yesterday and at the last minute he said he couldn't go because he had a warrant out for his arrest there. So that's kind of  a bummer because i want to be here when he gets baptized. I told him and Jessicca that I might be getting transferred and they asked form Pres. Petersen's number so they could call him and tell him to let me stay! ha they are so cool! We are teaching the most awesome people right now!! The work is finally starting to progress and I really want to be here when this area explodes! Anyways I have had the chance to have a lot of converting experiences this last week. My understanding of the atonement increases everyday because on a mission its imperative to use the atonement everyday, several times a day. Its crazy, never in my life have i tried harder to serve the lord and obey his commandments and yet never in my life have i repented and been chastened as much as on my mission. I have come to learn that the atonement is not just about receiving forgiveness but its about changing us. Changing our very nature. I love 2 Nephi 4. In this chapter we read about Nephi and how frustrated he is with his weaknesses and how he desires to put off the natural man. Its amazing to see that even a man like the Prophet Nephi is in desperate need of the atonement. In Mosiah 27: 25-26 the Lord tells Alma the importance of changing through the atonement and becoming a new creature in Christ. It really is only through the atonement that our full potential can be reached, that we can be truly happy, and that we can return to live with our heavenly Father again. It is SO IMPORTANT that we take full advantage of this blessing in this life and allow Christ to change our nature! Anyways I am just so grateful for what I have learned on my mission so far. I love the experiences I get out here because they are helping me to change! O and thank you Inmans for the letters y'all wrote!! I want to give a special shout out to Deanna because she told me too! ha ha and thank you mom and Christie for your letters too!  love you all so much. I pray for you every night and I am so grateful for the family that I have. Aunt Becky thank you for sending me Macy's letter! She is so nerdy and awesome! O and happy birthday yesterday Kendall! and happy birthday on Wednesday Ryan! See y'all later! Love you!