"Happy Birthday..." and other fun stuff :)

Picture from Sis Weston's FB of Sioux City Zone Conference earlier in March.
 Elder Zack is the 12th from the left in the back row.

This week was awesome!  We met with more people than we have in a long time.  Everyday we had an awesome lesson with someone and our investigators are coming closer and closer to Christ.  This week, the big thing  I was reminded about was just how much our branch loves us because.... 

Friday was Elder Juan's Birthday!   He turned 22 so for my present to him I sang him a mixture of Taylor Swift and the Birthday song to him ALL DAY.  I'm sure he loved that :) I also got him a shirt but the singing was obviously the better gift.    Everywhere we went everyone was giving us food.  We went to a members house, they gave us food.  We went to another members house, they gave us MORE food PLUS cake.  and then we went to an investigators house and they gave us MORE food PLUS 2 cakes and then the next day the branch president threw a surprise birthday party and we got MORE food PLUS more cakes.   No wonder we're getting fat.   Anyways his birthday was great.  He was smiling all day and said it was the best birthday he's ever had.  

Elder Juan with his cake

Elder Juan after we shoved his face in his cake :)

Elder Juan with his presents from my family

As for updates our investigators....

Martha is as great as ever.  Progressing so fast and loving everything we tell her.  She loves how it all makes sense and the pieces fit together.  The Gospel is simply beautiful and beautifully simple, just the way it should be.

Jose is doing awesome.  He was so excited to come to church this week, saying that he was going to get off work early and come prepared with questions and expectations for answers.... but then his brothers car broke down with the food in a town 45 minutes away and he had to go get him.  But Emma, his wife, came to church!  and all three hours!    

Norberto is... fun.  This week we taught him the law of Chastity, which anytime you teach it is kind of awkward but when you teach it to a guy who's moral compass is a little eschew and has a past with lots of problems, its about 3 times as awkward.  But we're done with that lesson now, so hopefully we won't need to cover it again!

Anyways there's our 3 main guys.  Everyone else is fairly new so there's not a whole lot to report about for this week.  

Yesterday we had the awesome opportunity to hear from the Winter Quarters Temple President who came and gave a fireside to our branch. President Okiishi talked all about the temple and seeing God's hand in our lives.  The whole time I was just thinking about the blessing I had growing up only 5 minutes from the temple.  Omaha (where the Winter Quarters temple is ) is an hour and 45 minutes away.  That's way too far for me.  I loved being able to go there whenever I wanted and just think.  Everything would always be so much clearer when I left.  I've been wanting a Temple trip pretty bad this week.  I miss the temple.  

Anyways the fireside was awesome!  You could feel his love for the Temple and for the Missionary work, since he was a convert himself.  He's one of the nicest people I've ever met, so I couldn't help but get a picture with him.  We're hoping to go see him soon, since we've got a pretty good size group of people in our branch all preparing to go through the temple and since we re-activated a few of them, we get to go too!  Sadly the trip isn't until next transfer so who knows if we'll still be here or not.   I hope so!

Me and President Okiishi

 

Thats all for this week!  I love you!  Thanks for the package this week!  Elder Juan like his gift :)  

Lots of love,

Elder Paddock

PS I realized I have zero pictures of any of my friends.  If you could send me some of those, that'd be great :)