Week 90: He will always put you exactly where he needs you

Hello Family,

Scripture of the week: D&C29:4-5, 31:3

Well, its sounds like its been an eventful week on the home front. Sounds like a good one for the most part. Im grateful to hear the good news with grandma. Best get her some protein shakes and Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches so she can gain some weight. That worked so well for me.... NOT! 

Looks like the Jr show was a success. Vanity looks like she came together pretty well. You know your little sister has grown aton since youve been on your mission when the cows no longer make her look short. I cant believe how grown up she is. The new barn looks very nice. Good news is it will still be there next year and every year after that so i will get to spend plenty of time in it. The high roof will make it pretty difficult to hang our spider from, but i suppose we will just have to find a way to make it work, i bet dad is glad the roof doesnt allow for hanging spiders now. Looks like you guys made pedigree boards and everything. I love it, so awesome. I have loved working with Wade, but there is definitely something really special when we put together a string and just rough it as a family, something i am really looking forward to next show season. Hopefully we can get the big hitters up and running for next season.  Mom it sounds like they have been keeping you on the road plenty, but just know that it is so appreciated all that you do for us, it really is. Sounds like you have driven almost as much as me this week. All in all sounds like it was a good week. Who was the judge? i dont recognize him. Look forward to hearing how the open show goes, hopefully the minister calf does better today, thatd be pretty sweet to get 4 out of her. Who is she out of again? i should know these things, but yall understand. 

That is so cool that Alex got his wish granted. That is one special little kid, one special family for that matter. i got an amazing letter from Lori a few weeks ago, just havent had time to reply to it. Hopefully i get time one of these next weeks before it is too late. 

Thank you for the package from grandma, i wrote her a quick thank you this morning before we headed over here to the office. She takes pretty great care of me. 

So this week was just great. The weather was gorgeous all week, so that meant that there were tons of people out and about, so we got to talk to people out the wazoo. We started our week in Gardiner, which is where Elder Wells is, so i got to work with Elder Wells, that was great, it was just like we never got split up, we just picked up where we left off. He is doing really well considering the fact that he goes home in two weeks. We then worked in Augusta, then Damariscotta. While in Damariscotta we went to a small tourist town called Booth Bay Harbor and did some street contacting. That place was hustlin'. got some picture of the ocean that i will send your way.

After Damariscotta we were in Yarmouth, and had a fantastic exchange. I worked with an Elder Phillips, he is from Rexburg, and is just a sold kid, we saw many miracles on exchange. One that really stands out happened with a man named Kevin. I dont remember his last name so i have just started to refer to him as Kevin Bacon. No he doesnt look anything like Kevin Bacon, but it sounds good. But anyway we met Kevin Bacon on the street and he really wasnt  all that interested, but we left him with a mormon.org card. Two hours later we received a church head quarters referral for a man named Kevin. We thought "could it be?" sure enough it was. kevin had went home and checked out mormon.org, and decided he was interested so he referred himself. That doesnt happen very often so its pretty cool. This happened on thursday and the elders in yarmouth have already taught him twice since then. If the lord knows you will talk to them, he will place the prepared in your path. After Yarmouth we headed to Saco, where i had the opportunity to work with another former companion, Elder Davis who also goes home in two weeks. He is doing well as well. While in Saco Elder Walker and i decided to go for our morning run on the beach. It was pretty sweet running in the sand bare foot. i have pictures of it as well. All in all just a great week of exchanges. 

We got home and had planning meeting with President and started planning for Zone Conference with Elder Wilson. He will be here week 6, 17 18 and 19 of this month. Im excited for it, but also will be glad when it is over, as it is very stressful here in the office preparing for a general authority to come. But all will be fine. 

We ended the week with a great Sabbath day. Church is always such a great finish and start to a week. i just love it. I love fast sundays. 

So last night Elder Walker and i were sitting here in the office prepping the transfer board and we got a call from Elder Barnes and Elder Harrington, two of the elders serving in manchester. They asked us if we had a Coke. We thought "well that is a weird question". So we asked why and they proceeded to tell us that Elder Barnes has a small esophagus and he had a piece of roast lodged in his throat, and this has happened before and Coke helps to dislodge it. (The acid from the coke probably eats it away just like it eats away your body). So the ox being in the mire we ran to the store and got Elder Barnes a Coke (these elders are in a walking area so they have no car) so we take him the coke, and it is just not helping so we call the mission dr and he tells us to take him to the ER. So we did and sat there for 3 hours before they finally got him in. By this time it was 10 so we left them there and headed home, now this morning i have not heard what happened with Elder Barnes yet, so this story will be continued next week. 

But wait there is more... we were sitting in the waiting room and Sister Hughes a member from the Bedford ward comes up and says "Elder Zilles im so glad you  are here, Brother Hughes is here and needs a blessing". I guess Bro. Hughes was having weird chest pains so he was in to get that checked out. So we gave Bro. Hughes a blessing, dont know what happened with that story either so that will continue later as well. I just thought it was pretty cool that the lord had placed us where he needed us for more than one reason. If you are doing the right thing, he will always put you exactly where he needs you. 

Hold to the Rod

Love ya 

Elder Zilles

Oh almost forgot, this week we have leadership training, then wednesday we are working in concord NH, thursday Somersworth NH, then friday through sunday here in the office prepping for transfers and the general authority. love you all

 

Week 91: Safety for the Soul

Hello Family,

Scripture of the Week: D&C 35:24

My heart is full this morning, and i feel very strongly that i need to write this, so i am going to write this then i will talk about the happenings of this week. 

I want to talk about the Book of Mormon. I have been signing my emails with "Hold to the Rod" for the majority of my mission, but this morning i want to talk about just that, holding to the rod. I have alot of thoughts on this subject running through my mind, so i hope that what ever it is that you all need to hear makes it into this email. My favorite talk of all times is by Elder Holland, it is titled "Safety for the Soul". That is exactly what the Book of Mormon is, is safety for the soul. The Book of Mormon has an incredible power, a power to change lives, to bring true and lasting happiness, a power that i cant adequately talk about in an email. But it is a real power. A power that has truly changed my life, and i want nothing more than for it to change everyone in the worlds life.

 Joseph Smith said that The Book of Mormon is the Key stone of our religion, but i will take that even farther and say that the Book of Mormon is the key stone of our lives. A key stone holds an arch together, and when it is taken away the arch crumbles. I have observed in my own life and the lives of many others that when they stop reading the Book of Mormon, or "Holding to the Rod" that is when life begins to crumble. Now i cant promise that if we always read the Book of Mormon we wont have any trials in our lives, because that would not be consistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But i can promise that as we "hold to the rod" we will always have what we need to get through our trials. I dont know that this email even says a small part of how i feel about the Book of Mormon, but that book has completely changed my life.

I have a friend  friend who  was able to overcome terrible things by reading the Book of Mormon. Before he could come on a mission he had to overcome terrible addictions. Addictions that usually take lots and lots of help to overcome, and he overcame everyone of those addictions by reading the Book of Mormon. I too have felt that same power in the Book of Mormon. I have a saying written in the cover of my Book of Mormon and it says "when temptation comes along, read the Book of Mormon and it will be gone". I wrote that there because i have used it and it works. Please always hold to the rod. 

i dont know if any of that even makes sense, and i dont know who exactly needed to hear that, but someone did, so i wrote it. 

Alright so it sounds like quite the eventful week on the home front. Not every day you just get to make a spur of the moment seven hour drive to go camping, sounds like a good time. Also sounds like Homecoming was great. That is always a good time there at the West Side. Not every year is Homecoming filled with people getting engaged though, sounds like that added some real zest to all of the West Side Hoopla. Tattles and a USU game, life doesnt get much better than that. Tried to talk president into going to a game with us this week, just so we could go, but he didnt go for that. Understandably!

The week here in the mission has been full of preparation. Its not every day that a general authority comes to your mission, so we have been going crazy getting everything all prepped for that, as he will be here on Tuesday night, and then we have Zone conferences Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Its gonna be an eventful week that is for sure. Then Saturday we will finish Prepping for Transfers and Saturday night we will make transfer calls. Everything is pretty well ready for that though. All we need to do now is call them out. Then next Tuesday will be transfer meeting  and then everyone will be off to there new areas. Always an exciting time here in the NHMM. 

Quinton with the AP bat, every AP signs this bat!

So normally i wouldnt know what is happening with me at transfer time for another week, but with my current calling i am a little bit more in the loop than i used to be. So yes i know exactly what Elder Zilles will be doing for the last two transfers of his mission. I am just trying to decide if i want to tell you this week or wait till next week to tell you.... Hmmmmm.. Ok i think i will just tell you this week. So there is quite the amazing story behind this transfer call... 

A few weeks ago i was reading through the notes from my setting apart blessing like i do quite regularly, and when i read the part about gaining a stronger testimony of the Prophet Joseph, i had the strangest feeling. then the words came to my mind clearer than anything that i would be serving in South Royalton which is where the JSM is. I thought to my self, there is no way that will happen, that is a sisters area. So then a few days go by, and we find out that one of the Sr couples at the JSM had to go home early, so now they are short staffed. So we counseled and President decided we should open a new area there in SO RO and send Elders there till we get a replacement sr couple. So by this time im starting to think, "ok maybe i did receive revelation that i will be serving there". But nothing i can really do about it, so i just went on my marry way. So then comes along this friday, and we had interviews with President. He opens the Transfer board and i see my picture in South Royalton. Next to my picture i see a blue card that says "MTC arrival" which means i will be training a new missionary. President said to me "If it were up to me i would keep you here in the office with me, but it is not up to me it is up to the lord. and i feel very strongly that you are needed in South Royalton, and i cant think of a better person to train a new missionary." so my last two transfers i will be opening a new area, training a new missionary, and also i will once again be a district leader. it is going to be an incredible last two transfers i am so excited. I cant think of a greater place to end my mission than at the birth place of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Ahh its going to be so amazing. Plus back in Vermont, what else could i ask for. I feel pretty spoiled. Its gonna be amazing. Wow its been 18 months since i trained Elder Guinn. Im just so excited. 

Well i think that is probably enough of my rambling. sure do love you all so very much. 

Hold to the Rod

Elder Zilles 

Week 89: oh...maine

Hola,

Scripture of the Week: 2 Nephi 22:2, D&C 24:11

Sounds like it was a pretty good week on the homefront. Any week that includes a bit of clipping and cow showing is a good week in my book. I cant believe it is already september. Yall better make sure and take plenty of pictures of the shows over the next few weeks. I still have a need for my cow fix. Dont worry though its a healthy addiction... healthy addiction? yea that makes no sense at all, but oh well. Im excited to hear how the shows pan out. 

Sounds like church was good as well. Im so glad you had them speak on the need for sr couples, boy do we need them so badly, i know my mission needs them so that means the whole church needs them just as bad. Everyone who is able should go. A mission is one thing that i can say no one will ever regret doing. regardless of age or shoe size. 

Sounds like it was a great week for dad with baby Ashty, i dont know what he did to get her to like him so much, but wow he must be paying her under the table or something. Ha just kidding, im sure he is a wonderful grandpa. That is one thing i am definitely excited for is meeting that little girl. Dont worry though i am not trunky, no time to be trunky, to much to do and not enough time to do it. 

Im very excited that Zadee has flushed so well. cows like her are really what make this whole thing all worth it. I have had so many good times with that ol girl. Ive been showing her for a Loooong time. i still remember winning jr champion with her clear back in heber days. That was a long time ago. Gonna miss showing that old girl, but it sure had been a good run. 

We had a lesson on the creation is sunday school yesterday and we were talking about how Heavenly Father created us all with different likes and dislikes, and then he created things to meet all of those for us. That is just one example of all that he has done for us because he loves us so much. Hopefully Jordan is able to do some good work on Norma so her Legacy can live on for a while as well. We've gotta work on getting some more heavy hitters in the line up when i get home. 

Well as for my week... Oh Maine, where to begin.... Did you see what i did there i said oh Maine instead of oh man. 

Anyways Maine... It was another great week. always full of new adventures, doing service in really gross houses knocking on lots of doors. Working with some really great friends. It is so rewarding to work with missionaries i had in my zone before and see how much they have changed and grown. 

My favorite exchange of the week was with Elder Jessee. He is the one that you met his parents at the Wilkeys thing. We got a ton of work done and it was just great. We set out to contact a Less active and when we got to the address we found it to be a trailer park, and we didnt have a number for what trailer, so we went to work. 62 white trailer doors later we did not find the guy we were looking for, it was great. 

So with all of our exchanges and all we have to get done when we are home, we had about 2 hours to work in our area yesterday, but it was a very productive 2 hours. We got a media referral for a guy. So we went to contact it, and he is so solid. He is one of the most solid people i have met since i have been out of my Vermont.  Just a super solid guy, he let us in right away, we taught him the restoration, accepted the moroni challenge and an invite to the JSM. Super awesome guy. A great miracle. 

As for this week... we are wroking in Gardiner Maine, August Maine, Damariscotta Maine, Yarmouth Maine, and Saco Maine. When we get back we have planning meeting with president to prepare for MLC next week. And at MLC we will be preparing for the general authority that is coming week 6. Elder Larry Wilson of hte 70 will be here. Because he is coming week 6 we are prepping transfers week 5, so the next few weeks are going to go so fast that they might as well be over. Itll be great though. sure do love you all. 

Hold to the Rod

Elder Zilles

Week 88: Ether 12:27

Hello Family,

Scripture of the week: 2 Nephi 7:7-8 

Well sounds like it was a really great week on the home front. Im always happy to hear that. 85 years old way to go grandpa. Sounds like it was a great party, pretty bummed i had to miss the shrimp boil, but oh well next year. Sounds like all the cousins are doing really well. Everyone is so growed up. Its pretty cool to see how strong in the gospel our family as a whole is. I am so grateful for that. 

The Ogden temple looks amazing. Such a huge change from the old cup cake shape. Very Beautiful.

So this week was great. We ended up working in six areas so needless to say we were beyond tired when we got home saturday night, but we made it through and it ended up being a really great week. I mean any week spent in Vermont is a good week. So many missionaries complain so much about Vermont, but i just love it there so much. The work is much tougher there than anywhere else in the mission, but it is such an amazing place. I guess when you are there for 14 months you probably have a different view than someone who is only there for a short period of time. Had a good time in essex. Got to see Brian for a few minutes so that was great. He is the Gospel Principles teacher right now so that is pretty cool. 

We were driving from our 5th area to our 6th area on friday night, it was about 930 and we were in the big van (we had to deliver some furniture to an apartment) we heard a weird noise so we got out to find a flat tire. So at 930 in the middle of no where pitch black vermont we changed a tire without a flash light, it was a party. Gotta love it. 

All in all it was just a really great week.

So i wanted to share something with you that the spirit has been teaching me over the course of a few weeks. Its really amazing what the spirit can teach you when you will allow it to. That is something i have really grown to love while being out here. But anyways... 

The other day i was feeling really weak. i was thinking to myself "you are a missionary, why do you have so many weaknesses." I was almost feeling like i had developed more weaknesses while being on my mission. And that really started to bug me. So as i pondered and prayed about it, i received my answer. I learned that i have not developed more weaknesses, i have just become more aware of the weaknesses that i have. As we grow closer to the lord, we become more aware of our weaknesses, he can then take us and make us stronger. It goes right in line with the doctrine taught in Ether12:27. 

I thought that was pretty cool and thought you all would like to hear it. Well i sure do love you all and i hope you have a grandtastic week.

oh i almost forgot, this week we start it off with new missionary training meeting, then we head to maine. Start in Dover Foxcroft, then newport maine, then brewer, and finish it off in farmington. Itll be a good one. 

love yall 

hold to the rod

Elder Zilles

Week 87: Leave it all on the field

Hey ya'll

Scripture of the week: 2 Nephi 5:27

So it sounds like it was a great week. Before i forget i am going to put the article that i wrote this week for the mission news letter on here so you guys can read it. Each month a news letter goes out with messages from us president and the office staff, and it was my turn to write the message this month. so here it is.

Dear Elders and Sisters,

                “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) These often used words of Paul the Apostle have great meaning to me and to all of us, as each day we are one day closer to the end of our missions. The time we have been given to serve in this capacity is short, and it goes by far too quickly.

                In High School I loved to play football. Most of my time was consumed with something related to the “grid-iron” and “pig-skin”. Oh how I loved those Friday night lights. I have many fond memories of those days and some that are not so fond. One of those not so fond memories comes from the final game of my senior year. We were playing in the semi-final game of the state championships against a team that we were picked to annihilate, and that is exactly what we did NOT do. Why did we not win? That is a question that has entered my mind many times, and I have finally come up with the answer… We did not win because we got comfortable with where we were at and we did not as Paul says “finish our course”. We did not give it all we had till the final whistle blew and because of that we received the reward we deserved.

                Missions are much like athletic events. We must go hard and leave it all on the field. When we do that our Heavenly Father has great rewards in store for us. “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but to all them also who love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8)

                Missions prepare us for the rest of life.  So as you give all you have to give, you will be better prepared to give all you have in life and endure to the end. Which will qualify you to receive that great eternal reward promised us by our Father in Heaven.

                Elders and Sisters, I pray that we can all give all that we have to give each day to invite our brothers and sister here in New-England to come unto Christ and feel the joy this gospel brings. Just remember you “can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth” you (Philippians 4:13). I testify that Jesus is the Christ, this is his church and he will lead you to the prepared. Joseph Smith saw what he said he saw and we are serving on sacred soil. Give it all you got.

Love ya’ll

Alright now back to things on the home front. Thank you so much for the fair pictures. I always love getting those. I was joking with Elder Walker this week that most missionaries miss home around the holidays, but i miss home the most around fair season. So i was happy to hear that you all had a good time and all went well. Next year i will be home and things can be back to how they should be. Ah man cant wait for that. Fair season is my favorite, nothing against the holidays, but you understand. That is so cool that lou was number 51. Lucky number always stays in the family.

 I will always be grateful for the friendships built from all those years at shows. 

Im sure Ky did a great job speaking. I would bet he was just a great hard working missionary. But he is from Weston Idaho so we wouldnt expect anything less from him. Itll be great to see all the guys when we are all home from our missions and see how much we have all changed. Speaking of looking older, i look way older than when i left. I was looking through a file i found here in the office with the pictures of me and president and sister wilkey when i first came out and man oh man i have gotten old. Hopefully in a good way though. 

So this week was not too super eventful we just helped out alot here in the office, the office staff has kind of been under the weather so we tried to do as much for them as we could. Which took us to maine to gut out an apartment that we shut down so that was a great time. That is really about all that happened though, it was a bit slower of a week. Which is good cause the rest of the transfer will not be slow at all. This one will be busier than last one. We are scheduled to work in 15 different areas. Starting tomorrow in vermont. We will work in St. albans, lamoille, essex, middlebury, and they finish the week in Montpelier. Should be an eventful one. then the next few weeks we will be in maine. Before we know it we will be prepping for Elder Wilson of the 70 who is coming the end of september for zone conferences. Im pretty excited for that. 

Well family that is about all that i have for ya this week. Hopefully next week ill be able to have some more exciting details for ya. Now dont you guys get too trunky for me. I still have work to do here. Ill be home soon enough so just dont worry too much about it. 

Thank you for all you do for me and for the great examples that you all are. It was soo good to see a picture of grandma, grandma and grandpa. Love them all so much, give them a big ol hug for me. Dont forget with the new school year starting that the most important relationship to have is with our heavenly father. Read your scriptures and pray each day and you all will be just fine this year. Sure do love you guys. 

Hold to the rod. I mean it.

Elder Zilles

Week 86: 15th Transfer! (Out of 17!)

Hey Family,

Scripture of the week: D&C 39:7, D&C 6:33-37

TRANSFER WEEEEEEEK. welp the dream team is being split up. Yup i still am not excited about it, but it is ok because that is what the Lord needs to happen in the mission right now. This is Elder Wells last transfer, so he will be heading back into the field to finish it off. Hes got a tough job ahead of him.  An area that president is thinking about closing down, and he is shot gunning it. So he has his work cut out for him. He'll do just fine though. ill miss working with him though thats for sure. But you all remember Elder Walker. He was in my district back in the lyndon days. He worked for Staci in high school, from Honeyville Uta?. Well he is going to be my new companion so that is pretty sweet. If i had to get a new companion i cant think of a better one to have, so itll be great. 

So the events of this week. Tuesday we had leadership meeting, and that went really well. We then drove the missionaries home, and stayed the night in Essex, it was just weird without the Polls there. When we got back to the office wednesday morning, Elder Pettingill the car man asked if we could help him go pick up some new cars. so we said of course. We drove to a jeep dealership where we had three jeep compass waiting for us. Now the compass would not be my first choice if i were buying a jeep, but its ok it was still super fun to drive a brand new jeep off of the lot without a companion. we were driving down the highway and i look out my window to see elder wells in his jeep recording a video of me on his camera. it was just a good

time. Wednesday thursday and friday we were in the office the whole day helping with transfers. we would be working on odd jobs and then pres would call us in periodically to "inspect" what he had done. It amazes me how much he trusts our judgement. By friday night he had all the transfers finalized, and that is when our lives got really crazy. There are 92 companionships in the mission, and this transfer 67 of them are getting shook up. that just made life wild this weekend. Tomorrow is of course transfer meeting. well elder wells and i had to sit down and decide how everyone is going to get to the meeting, to their new areas, when they will leave all of that good stuff. we were up till 2:30 sunday morning working on travel plans. It was a party. But we made it through in one piece. Sunday morning after a few hours of sleep we had to call out all of the travel plans to the zone leaders so they could call them out to the missionaries before church so they could arrange for rides. After that we spent the rest of the day getting phone calls from missionaries who thought they had a better way to get where they needed to go. But thats just the thing, the way we said is the way it is going to happen, so we did a lot of patch work yesterday. Because the way these travel plans work, if one person messes it up, then the whole thing falls apart. I make it sound like a really big deal, and you may think that is dumb, but it really is a big deal. Tomorrow morning will be the test to see if everyone gets to where they need to be on time. itll be a miracle if it works out. 

The Transfer board with Elder Wells! 

I'm not really sure what this week is going to bring for sure. we haven't had time to plan that far yet. All i know is this afternoon we are meeting President at the airport at 4 to pick up the new missionaries, and then spending the rest of the night with them. Tomorrow is transfer meeting, then we have to take a visa waiter to the airport so he can finally go to brazil. Wednesday morning we take all of the missionaries who are going home to the airport. should be an eventful week. 

Ah fair week. Probably one of my favorite weeks of the year. It is like a holiday for me. Cant wait to be able to go to cow shows again. Most missionaries start to miss things during the holidays, i just start to miss things during show season. But its ok im good with being weird. I will be looking forward to getting LOTS of PICTURES. and hearing how everything went. Yes the caps were a hint and a stern reminder to take and send me lots of pictures. 

What are we gonna do about the coyotes chasing the calves? we cant have that happening. guess we will have to start shooting them. Stupid coyotes. 

I am happy to hear grandma and grandpa zilles are improving in their health. Also happy to hear the good news about grandma norm. I will as always continue to keep her in my prayers. 

So before i go i just want to share an experience. With all the transfer mumbo jumbo yesterday we were late for church and missed the sacrament. we were both pretty upset about that. So we started scheming and decided we would attend the bedford ward to take the sacrament. It was a really neat feeling to be looking forward to the sacrament so much. im very glad i was able to partake of it. So my invitation to all of you this week is to make sure you are preparing for the sacrament properly. Each day you can prepare for it. I promise you will have an increase of the spirit in your life if each day  you will make a conscious effort to prepare for the sacrament. love you guys

cant wait to hear about the fair

Hold to the rod

Elder Zilles

Week 85: VERMONT ALL WEEK #Vermontforlife

Hello Family,

Scripture of the Week: 1 Nephi 13:37

Well it sounds like all is going quite well there on the home front. Which always makes me happy to hear. Dad better be careful, we dont need to be loosing any limbs while trimming hooves. crazy guy. (I almost said crazy old man, but we will wait a few years till we start calling him that). Ah man sounds like preparation for the fair is in full swing. i miss that alot. I also miss rodeos. Did you know they dont have those in the east? can you believe that? what kind of life would that be? yea no thanks not for me. So glad to hear lando made it home safely. They all look very happy to be back together in all the pictures. Elder wells was excited to see the plane. (he flies one just like that back home) 

Sounds like everyone beat me to the punch in telling you about my week, it was really a great week. Seeing the Gregory family was such a treat. Not many people can say they got to go back to an old area and have dinner with their first convert while still on the mission. They are doing so well though. So great to see how much bro Greg has grown in the gospel. He is such a solid guy. Being able to be part of his conversion was such a fantastic blessing. Love them so much. 

Also very neat the Gorhams got in contact with you. We had a few minutes left in our time in Lyndon, and i felt very impressed to go visit them. Just great people. love them alot. It will be great for you guys to meet them when they come out to bear lake in june. All in all the lyndon area is doing really well. 

Friday we headed to newport, and i really only remember one part of the day, that was lunch with grandma pat. She is still such a great cook. no wonder i gained 20 pounds when i was there. Ha is showed her a picture of when i was there and now, she laughed at how fat she made me. It was just so good to see her. She is doing well for the most part. The stuff with Cecil is starting to drag on her, but she is a trooper and will be ok. Cecil is still hooked to IV most the time, and has had his voice box removed, but seems to be slowly regaining strength. Even he was excited to see me. I never saw him smile as much as he did this week when i was there for 41/2 months. Pat was just telling us how she feels overwhelmed and run down, so we taught her about blessings, and then i gave her a blessing. it was amazing. After it she goes "i feel lighter all the sudden and when you were doing that my hands were tingling". such an amazing lady though. It was such a blessing to get to see her again. 

well that's the short of this past week. all in all a great week. This work is such an amazing blessing. i cant imagine my life without it. 

Whats happening this week??... well today is the 1st monday of the month and tomorrow the 1st tuesday, so that means we have leadership meeting. So today driving to pick up missionaries. tomorrow we have the meeting, and then driving them home. Then the rest of the week we will be preparing for transfers, as they are next week. Not exactly sure what role we play in transfers, but i do know we will be plenty busy. 

Oh i almost forgot to tell you about the visit at the JSM. It was amazing as always. That place is just fantastic. words cant really describe the feeling there cant wait for yall to get to go there with me. 

This church is no doubt the one and only true church. Thank you for helping me get to where i am so that i can serve our heavenly father. Read the Book of Mormon each day, even if it is just a verse. 

love you guys

hold to the rod

Elder Zilles