Investigators

I'm sorry there are 3 posts in one day. I got behind with the holidays and traveling to Utah. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things now. Adam currently has two investigators that are working toward baptism. One is scheduled for this Saturday and as a family we are praying and fasting for him. As of Sunday he still hadn't completely given up his cigars. He loves going to church and hasn't missed a Sunday since he started going and he loves the members. He enjoys going to the activities and being part of a ward. Adam has really enjoyed teaching him and working with him. Please join us in praying for him to be able to overcome his habit and enter the waters of baptism. The other one preparing for baptism is Sean's mom who I mention in the Christmas post as well. She is also struggling with the Word of Wisdom and is working hard to overcome that. Their lessons with her have been going really well and she is schedule for baptism on February 4th. Please pray for her as well as she prepares for this big step. They are teaching others but these are the two that are scheduled for baptism. Thank you all so much for keeping Adam and his investigators in your thoughts and prayers..................................On another note, Adam is really excited that one of his good friends from Provo who was in our ward and on his baseball team has been called to the same mission. Adam is so excited for Trevor Zibetti and can't wait for him to get there. I believe he enters the MTC in February.

Transfers

The week before Christmas they had transfers. It seems like a hard time to have to do that, but I guess it goes along with missionaries coming and going from the mission. I realized since I arrived in Portugal one week before Christmas, the same thing had to have happened in my mission........Adam stayed in the same area (Irvine) but his trainer was transferred and he said he misses Elder Horejsi. His new companion is Elder Oviatt and here is some of what he had to say about transfers, "Elder Oviatt has only been out a transfer more than I have and this is his 2nd area. He just switched with Horejsi. He is senior companion but it doesn't feel like it. I am more of a leader and he is kinda shy so I do most of that stuff. He was driver but drove me nuts because he didn't know where he was going so we got that switched." This is the information he gave me in his letter now I will share what he put in his email........."all I know about him so far is that he went to BYU and he likes My Little Ponies ....... yep I said it my little ponies!!!! Are you kidding me???!! He tried to put a M.L.P. ornament on my Christmas tree and I almost died of laughter and then nearly had a heart attack when I found out he was serious... At least you will be getting some interesting and probably funny letters." We all had to laugh at that. I can just picture Adam finding out his companion is a "Brony". We told him to be nice and try to learn from the experience. In his last letter he said they have had some good discussions and he is beginning to feel that it's not as weird of a companionship as he thought.

Elder Wardle and Elder Oviatt

Their Little Christmas Tree (before the MLP ornament)

Christmas

Christmas was wonderful mainly because we were able to skype with Adam. It was so nice to be able to see him and talk to him. He looks wonderful and seems to be doing very well! In his letter before skyping with us he wrote, "It is finally here, it seemed so far away but it came so fast at the same time. I am so happy that I get to call or skype you. I know it hasn't been that long but I sure miss everyone." It is nice to know that he misses us too. They got together as a whole mission for a devotional and here is what he said about it, "1st Christmas Devotional was a blast! Our Mission President is the best! We started off by watching Tangled! Yep we watched a movie and everyone loved it. After we had some amazing Korean BBQ for lunch and I swear I ate a whole chicken, pig, and cow, yum yum! Everyone was there so I got to chill with Elder Rogers and Sister Thompson (from his MTC district), both super awesome! We had a devotional where someone in each of the 8 languages read the Joseph Smith Story in their tongue. It's pretty cool to feel the spirit when you can't understand it completely....................... On Christmas Eve they went to a Ward Dinner with one of their investigators. Then they went and opened their pj's and wore them for their Christmas Eve Party at a member's house. They played games, santa came, and they had a lot of fun. The family gave him a green lantern shirt. I guess the girls in the family thought he looked like green lantern :)!

I believe this picture is of Sean and his dad with Adam and his comp. Sean and his family have been very good to Adam. Sean is a convert of 2 years. His mother is one of their investigators and we are all praying for her in her preparations for baptism. They skyped from Sean's house and later went to his parent's home for dinner. The family gave them some gift cards for Christmas, too. Christmas Day: "We had another p-day for Christmas and it was awesome. For my 1st Christmas away it was hard for sure, I miss being with everyone, but I had a good time. We had breakfast as a zone, played some group games, and opened presents. We eventually got ready and went to Sean's for skype which was wonderful! Kind of weird to be called by my first name(by us of course), haha:)! I think that's good?! I'm glad I could start a snowball fight from Anaheim." We were in Utah and he asked me to take the computer outside so he could see "his snow". He encouraged Ashlee and Jaxon into a snowball fight which was quite fun to watch. He enjoyed every second of it. I just tried to keep the computer camera pointed in the right direction so he could see it all. We sure missed having him play games and go sledding with us this Christmas but he is exactly where we want him to be and we are so grateful he has chosen to serve The Lord on a mission. It was so wonderful to skype with him.