What a great week! So much has happened that I almost don’t know where to start, so I’ll just share the highlights I liked the most! 

I had my first “mini zone conference” on Tuesday which is essentially a zone conference lead by the APs (Assistants to the President) with a smaller group of missionaires. It was a really cool meeting and we learned a lot about repentance and the importance of contacting media referals as soon as possible.

I had two exchanges this month, one with a zone leader named Elder Hanson and one with our district leader Elder Stucki. Both exchanges were in my area biking which was fun, and I learned so much more than I could every repay them both for. The most important things I learned were to get to know people on a personal level to really be their friends, and to give your entire day to the Lord without letting you’re own agenda and pride get in the way. Learning to let your pride go and staying humble are key to missionary work along with learning to simply love everyone regardless of their faults by finding their strengths. These are things that I am slowly learning piece by piece.

Due to what I learned from those exchanges, we met a lot of new people and were blessed to have some really amazing lessons with the friends we already had and the ones we made along the way. Some of these friends include a couple that only speaks Swahili that came to church on Sunday and want to come back next week which was a really cool experience!

Later that Sunday evening we also went to a Why I Believe event where converts share their stories with the friends and new members that us missionaries invite. While none of our friends showed up, it was an amazing experience and I was able to see my old MTC companion (also named Elder Smith) which was really fun! We talked for a bit and I found out he’s on a bike too and serving in Mesa right now which is really cool!  
The last highlight for this week was this morning when we went golfing with our district in celebration of Elder Cochran’s (Elder Stuki’s companion) birthday! It was a really fun way to start P-Day (preparation day), though I wasn’t any good due to playing with right handed clubs while being left-handed. We spent the rest of our P-Day shopping, playing sports at the church, and stressing over a game of Uno No-Mercy Expansion Pack, what a cruel game.

Overall, it’s been a week full of blessings and cool experiences and I hope for more like it! I can testify that God is real, and if we give our time and energy to him in faith and humility, he will bless us with the guidance and the moments we need to continue on. I love and miss you all, and I’ll catch you next week!

Sincerely,
Elder Whitchurch
Ether 12:27

Funny Story:
While on exchanges with Elder Stucki on Saturday we happened to meet this couple while passing by. We started talking to them and they offered us some water! Eventually invited them to church to which they declined. We said that was okay, but then the wife explained that they would, except that on Sundays they get up at three in the morning to drive up north and gamble in casinos all day! We honestly had no idea how to respond other than to laugh with them and change the subject.

Regardless of they’re Sunday habits, they were really cool and even let me take a picture in this classic 1983 Fiat Spider they had in the driveway (which ironically was won through gambling!).