Birthdays Everywhere! 3 Transfers Remain…

Hello Family!

So you've all been asking for a cool spiritual experience lately, so I'll share something special that happened yesterday. So we were out contacting a few people that the ward wanted us to go see, and while we were out walking, I decided to cut through the park to save on time. So as we're cutting across I see a Latino family a little ways off, and they're all playing soccer, and having a blast as a family. I smiled, but didn't think anything of it. As we get across and are walking up the side walk passing by the family, one of the women calls out to us "!Hermanos!" Oh! I thought, they must be members if they recognize us like that, so I waved. She called again, "!Hermanos!" Then I realized with my very dense head that she wanted to talk to us. So we walk over, and I start talking to her since I'm the lone Spanish missionary in my companionship. I didn't recognize her, or her family at first, but as we started talking I began to realize that this was a family that I had taught periodically while I was in Fairfield! One of the family members lived out in the fields here in Dixon, and the rest of the family lived on a Ranch between Rio Vista, and Fairfield where there are tons of windmills! Apparently the missionaries had stopped visiting them after I had left and they hadn't been visited in almost a year! They both wanted missionaries over again, and so I was happy to oblige. It was like a little sign from the Lord that yes, I was supposed to be here in Dixon, even though things are slow right now, and that yes, He has a work for me to do. It was inspiring, since it's been difficult to have a super strong faith in the work here with things going so slowly with our investigators in Dixon right now. A inspiring and gentle rebuke that the Lord is in control, and that I need to have more faith in Him, and rely more on Him to accomplish what He would have me do. I know that He lives, and that He leads us and guides, even on a daily basis, if we will be humble, ask for direction, then LISTEN. That can be the hardest part sometimes. :P  May we all have the ability to move forward, and follow the example of our Savior Jesus Christ, and change. Whatever is holding us back let us change. Our ultimate desire is freedom, and we truly can become free as we master our feelings, appetites, and whatever may push us towards sorrow and misery. Be the master, be the captain of your soul. For that is your unalienable right. This is the test of life.  

Congrats on your Cary High “Green Tie Gala” concert Jenna! I wish I could have been there!

Happy 13th Birthday to my little Brother Josh! I know he had a blast at his party.

Also Happy 24th Birthday to my cousin Robert! Hopefully he got my letter that I sent off to Leah...

I hope that everyone is OK. Tornados, huh? I'd have never thought we would have problems with those.

You guys seem to really like Bahama Grill. We'll have to go there. Have you made a list of the top 5 places you want to take me to when I get back? :) I like good food.

So Ben's over here near the West Coast now, huh? That's funny. He's probably in SLC right now. It'll be weird that I wont get to see him for a long time. I hope that he had a chance to write, or that he will have a chance to write at some point. We'll see what happens.

Hey Jenna, How do you like driving on your own? :) I'm sure it's fun.

Have fun camping at Jordan Lake!

Dad's Questions

1. <<We got an email from a family you met who knows another family here in the Apex Stake.  Tell us about that>>  The Wadell family is a family here in the ward. Sis Wadell apparently grew up with and/ or college roommates with Sister Garner (in Cary 1st ward?). We stopped by because her son was part of the focus 15, and they both happened to be there, and when I mentioned that I was from around Raleigh she talked about Sis Garner being from Cary. I smiled, and told her that's where I was from. Being here in California I haven't found very many people at all who have heard of it. So it's cool to see how small the world is sometimes.
2. <<Have you sung or spoken in Church recently?  Is your ward all English, or is there a Spanish Branch in Dixon?>>  I haven't spoken or sung in church recently, Although I'm part of the ward choir at the members request. We'll be singing this next Sunday, "This is the Christ" I love that song! I remember singing that with our ward choir back home. Oh how I miss it! I am working on building a Spanish branch in Dixon. But for right now it's just an English ward.
3. <<How are your clothes holding out?>> My clothes are holding out. Everything is flat here, so the biking isn't super strenuous, nor straining on my clothing, and since I'm slimming down, my clothes are fitting better. Things should be fine. I'll let you know if there are any problems.
4. <<When are transfers?  Do you think you’ll stay in Dixon, or do you think you’ll move this time?>>  Transfers are next week. Although I'm 99% sure that I'll still be here, so I'm not worried. It's the last 2 transfers after that will keep me guessing. wow... I only have a total of 3 transfers left. 4.5 months... WEIRD and funky, but not quite trippy :-P.

Mom’s Email

I figured that I was going to get asked to speak in the Branch anyway. :) So go ahead and tell them to expect me . I impress everyone out here with my Spanish. I look forward to seeing what they will think of my Spanish now -- I still remember them teasing me about my Spanish before I left.

I hope that the Wells are getting along well. I still need to write Erik back... I wonder if you can ask Sis Wells about his address. Speaking about addresses, have anyone been able to get Uncle Kenny's and Jenny Jump's addresses yet? I have the letters for them written up, but I can;t send them because I still need their current addresses.

:P I sent Leah a letter to her new address already, hopefully she can get it. Have her ask about it, I hope they wont re-send it back before she gets there. I sent it off last week, so it should be there. Hopefully Rob can find it, and the letter I included in Leah's letter for him.

On the school / college front -- I do plan on taking a few courses at Wake Tech or something, but I am going to shoot for working with the Geek Squad at the Best Buy near home, or whatever is available, and I will look for things that will keep me busy. I know that I need to keep moving in order to get back to college, and schooling etc. I should be back in time to be able to schedule stuff myself for BYU, since I _will_ be going there in the Winter Semester 2012. So hopefully I can get started with some art classes and some computing classes since I have a better idea of what I want to shoot for at BYU (their "animation" major check it out at BYU.edu)

I love you all! Have a fantastic week! I will write back to people who send me letters! I've gotten a couple of straight weeks of air-boxes. It's kind of depressing, more so since I'm trying to write absolutely everyone now. :P Anyways, Keep it real!

Elder Richard Mackelprang