Smartphones, Sugar, Sickness and Snow

Wow! It has been a hectic last few days! So to start off, last Wednesday we had an amazing lesson with our investigators, Jennifer and Bailey, the one we gave the blessing to that doesn't have cancer now! Jennifer, the mom, has been really stressed out with trying to find a house in Cold Springs, but she said that after our lesson she was on like a spiritual high. We talked about the Restoration and specifically baptism by water and by fire (Holy Ghost) and she was soooo down. So she and her daughter Bailey (her other daughter Bodi soon, too!) have been set for baptism in April. We are going to keep working with them and see how things progress, they are so ready though! She said she is ready to grab on and never let go of the truth, and she's found it!

Selfie w/ Elder Torres and Eliason

Selfie w/ Elder Whetten and President Chesnut

Another flipping crazy thing that happened is that on Friday, at MLC we were shown like 4 hours of video and training about how to use our new smartphones, after having no technology for a year and a half. We thought we were just gearing up for this next round of Zone Conference in which we would get them, but the office missionaries then came in with boxes of phones! So right now, I have a fully functioning Samsung Galaxy J7 in my pocket! This is insane. It's like a loaded gun with no safety! There is so much potential in store for these things, but I just wish they came with like training wheels or something. Its been so long without a phone. We have even been tasked with getting a Facebook account. That was gross. It is to be used to help with proselyting by networking with ward leaders, members, less-actives, investigators, etc. So don't friend request me unless you are planning on moving to northern Reno and investigating the Restored Gospel!

But it has been a lot of fun, and a big adventure. I am loving my mission and all of the amazing skills I am learning. Our President as well was resistant to this technology at first, but he came to the conclusion that if a missionary cannot learn how to use a smartphone with purpose and discipline in the mission, when will they? So I am glad for this opportunity to learn and grow.

Selfie w/ Elizabeth Razo

Since I got a smartphone, most all of my pictures are selfies. Naturally. Man I make like the same face in all of these.

It has been a pretty swell week this week! Honestly I cannot remember what happened like the first half other than District Meeting which went well, and thats kind of it. We had dinner with a member at IHOP, and when it came my time to order, I panicked and ordered a stack of 4 chocolate chip pancakes... So that was a fun sugar high. The member was just laughing. Speaking of sugar-highs we made fudge this week! Not really sure why lol. But we did it, and we gave some to our neighbors downstairs because they let us mooch off their wifi! Never thought I would be saying that on my mission, but it makes it so we don't have to go to the church every time we want to do something on our phones lol.

Cruising with Elder Torres and Elder Sorenson!

We had a pretty fun SPC (Stake Presidency Committee) meeting on Wednesday. the High Councilor, the guy in charge, just got that calling, so he had no idea what was going on. It was super funny, though, and we were still able to get some good out of it. We created our report on our phones and beamed it to the phones of the people in attendance, so that was beast. There is so much crazy potential with these things, its unreal! And only one person asked if I was already on Facebook this week! :(

Elder Doig got pretty sick this week. So we were inside for 2 days straight. That has never happened on my mission before and it was kind of terrible. We were able to get a lot done in terms of digitizing records and doing some good work online, but I longed for the open sky. I felt like an albino or something! But the oasis came and we were able to go to church and work all day yesterday.

Our apartment complex after the snow.

Also it snowed like crazy. Lit.

Anyway, not much else to report! Have a great week and don't forget to serve someone!