16 Dec 2007

love being on a mission!!! These last couple weeks have been awsome! Napier is a wonderful place. We are still working with MANY investigators and MANY less-actives. We are so blessed here. The windows of heaven have opened up over this area. Many other baptisms are on the way. The work is exploding! All the missionaries say this is the most active area in the mission right now. I am so blessed and so grateful to be here at this time of great excitement. The ward here is awsome! We can hardly keep up with the work. Something that we have started here that I think will work really well, is the Family Mission Plan. We are helping each member develop a plan for the next quarter. Each family sets goals to help the missionary work move along. We write it all down on a sheet of paper (very organized), copy it two times, give a copy to the ward council, a copy to us missionaries, and a copy for the family. I feel really good about this program. I know it will work. One of the hardest things to do here is getting the members involved. My companion and I (Elder Spendlove) get along like peas and carrots. We have so many strengths and so many weaknesses, but together we are nearly perfect. Elder Spendlove is the district leader here in Napier. The sister missionaries here really make us frustrated. They are probably the biggest challenge we have right now. Christmas Conference was this week! It was so much fun! We started out like any other conference, hearing from President Finnigan. This is always the best part. We all hear what we need to work on, and also hear a little healthy chastisement. We are so blessed to have such an awsome mission president. After the leangthy speaches, we all played sport (kiwi saying). There was: Basketball, Football(soccer), Grid Iron(American football), Rugby(so much fun), and ping pong. It was heaps of fun, and helped all of us to blow off stress. We then Came inside and had gift exchange, White Elefant style. We then watched a movie!!! The movie was called "Polar Express", it's just to bad I've seen it before. Life goes on. We then went to our family that we were staying with for the night. They took us fishing, don't worry it was off the shore. I caught a flownder, but it was to small to keep. Good times. Well, all else I can say is that I love you all. Keep up the missionary work. Yes, even in Utah. Always be praying and looking for oppertunities to serve. Work hard, be smart, keep and follow all the rules, and as you lead the way, we will see you at the top, be there. -Elder R. Alexander