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Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Elder Inman Letter November 17, 2014

I walked on water!

Ok it was frozen...but it was a first! This week it has been below freezing all week. It's been in the high teens for quite a long time. Fortunately, Missoula is in a bowl of beautiful mountains that shield the wind. I am serving in the Missoula 4th Ward and YSA ward with Elder Burnham and Elder Snell. Elder Burnham is the Zone Leader companion with me and Elder Snell is our third companion...I'll leave it at that :) Elder Burnham is from Eager, AZ and Elder Snell is from Montgomery, AL.

Sister Mecham gave Elder Griffith and I permission to listen to Christmas music while we packed. It was so nice to hear different music! Her text said, "You owe me big!" I only have one box of things to send home this time and it's just clothes I won't need till I'm back in Arizona :) Yes...I got a ton of paint on the back of my suit coat. I don't know how, when, or where, but it is very visible white paint. So... I got a free tweed suit from the mission home that fits me perfectly! Not really my style but I took it!

We had a good lesson Tuesday with a new investigator named Nancy Hillman. She was in Utah for a surgery and she visited Temple Square while she was there. She did all her own research on LDS.org and referred herself online! If that isn't prepared, I don't know what is! She accepted a baptismal date and the other Elders are still meeting with her (that was in my previous ward).

Wednesday was transfer day. We left the mission home about 7:00Am and it was -1 degrees. The Winter Solstice is here! The mission just ordered 22 brand new 2015 Nissan Frontiers and they were lined up in front of the mission home like a car dealership. We all had to scrape the ice and snow off of them before departure. I was privileged to drive one of the Frontiers all the way to Missoula BY MYSELF! So much fun. Sister Mecham also gave me permission to listen to Christmas music on the way to keep me awake :) I led a caravan of several cars out and we mobbed in our truck like transformers to Helena. The roads were super icy so that made it even more fun.

Thursday we had a mission wide broadcast about online proselyting. I actually got to help them practice for it in the control room before I left Billings. So now I know how church-wide broadcasts work! Pretty high tec stuff. It was way cool. We watched it in the institute building. We get to attend institute whenever we don't have a set appointment because the program here is on the verge of getting closed due to the lack of students. So it is way sweet going :) We had a really good Friday Forum about Evolution and how true science is the same thing as true religion. I was impressed with the information.

We put 2 people on date just in the time I've been here so that numbers 5 people in our own area on date! As a zone we have 24 on date and 7 baptisms are happening this next Saturday. The work is truly hastening! The Stake is very involved here as well. We had a breakfast at a member of the Stake Presidency's home as a zone to discuss goals and what not. It was a mansion by the way. There is a member of our ward who owns a Porsche garage of 8 different Porsche's and the original 007 car. Oh and on a side note, the garage washes the car as you park it. No big deal.

I've met quite the variety of people here already. One 50 year old investigator married to a 22 year old drug addict. He was shot in the face recently and survived it somehow. We gave a blessing in a psych ward Saturday. They literally quarantine you there. We couldn't go back down the elevator without an employee's key! It was just like the movies. We had to remove all coats, pens, keys, etc. There a was a suicidal man in there who we gave a blessing to. All kinds of good stuff going on here in Missoula.

I am jealous you got to attend the Phoenix Temple dedication! And Tawnya got to sit so close to the Prophet! I am sure Jesse did very well. I had a thought Saturday that I am considering. When I get home I want to see if I can be an ordinance worker in the temple. Coming from a mission into the world again, there will be an inevitable loss of spirit without the mantle. I want to attend the temple as regularly as possible. Thoughts?

I don't have any pictures this week but I will take some next week. Time is flying by and I can't believe it. I hope you have a great week! Love you all!