23 Dec 2007

Wow! I love being on a mission! You get to experience so many great, new things. You also get to experience many humbling, sad things. This last week was very eventfull. We started out by visiting the boat loads of media referalls we've been getting. We taught many lessons (which is always the most fun), had many tea appointments, and family home evenings. This week was very full on. On Thursday (Dec 20th) we started out planning out our week. This is where we can set goals and plan how to acheive them. We then ate some food and went finding. At 3pm we did some "chalk-talk" or "G.Q.-ing". What we did was draw on the side walk the nativity scene. We also drew the american continent (aztec temples). We put the star heralding Jesus Christ's birth in the middle of the two. We then wrote "The witness of two nations" over the lot. We then stood around and sung carols while we took turns explaining it to people who were interested. fun stuff. That evening (5:45pm) we went caroling with the ward. It was heaps of fun! Then we went home. Elder Spendlove was doing his folow-up calls with the rest of the district when an earthquake hit! At first the lights dimmed and there was a slight rocking. Then it started moving around much more violently. It was a fairly calm earthquake to be sure. I just sat there and cherished the moment. It ended in a minute or two, and we went back to life as we know it. It was a "cool as" experience. The next day was just a normal day for us missionaries. That night, however, was a very sad night. We got a call from the zone leaders, saying that a missionary in masterdon was hit by a truck, and his life was hanging by a thread. The missionaries name was Elder Carnivole from Austrailia. Ten minutes later we recieved another phone call from the zone leaders. Elder Carnivole had passed away. It was a very traumatic experience for everyone. The entire mission fasted and prayed for his family. Even though I have never met him, it was hard to take in. We are definitly being tried. The work however is still as progressing as ever. We are getting ever closer to leading the mission. We have many investigators who are preparing themselves for baptism. No baptisms yet I'm afraid. I really miss you all. Espessially at this time of year. I will be calling home for christmas. Probably on YOUR Christmas. You are all good examples for me. I hope I can be a good example for you.-Elder R. Alexander