This week has been pretty wonderful! Between having a new companion (and housemate) and trying some new ways of doing things its been a fun time! 

Things started out with our first district council of the transfer which was a blast! We had our council and then we hung out afterwards while eating lunch and got to know each other better. It was nice to have fun together making jokes and just talking! My district is pretty awesome this transfer so I have high hopes. 

Speaking of high hopes, we’ve had quite a few lessons that show some potential for our friends which is exciting! One of our friends is hopefully near accepting baptism while two others (our swahili friends) are finally able to learn about the Gospel and are trying to understand it more and more!

We’ve also had some really cool experiences this week, the first of them involving the police…

Don’t worry nothing crazy happened! My companion and I were trying to find people in a parking lot when a police officer called us over. He introduced his partner and himself, then said he was member of the church and offered to buy us lunch! At first we declined, but after he asked again we folded and let him get us burritos at this Mexican place nearby. We got to know him and his partner a bit and talked about mission work while we waited for the food and after they got their food to-go we said thank you, goodbye, and sat down to eat. Things like this really make you realize just how small this world really is!

The other cool experiences we had this week revolve around our Stake Conference from this weekend. The first experience happened during the adult session on Saturday when our friend, who’s close to accepting baptism, called us mid-session. We went to a classroom to call him back and ended up having an amazing impromptu lesson about baptism and its importance. We could tell that the spirit was working hard on him and we forsee progress in the future. To top the night off, one of the counselors in the ATM presidency and his wife took our zone our to dairy queen for some blizzards!

The other cool experience was from the regular session of conference where our swahili friends were able to come! It was truly a miracle because we had forgotten to get them a ride until the night before and our mission leader pulled through to save the day! What a blessing that God provides a way for those he is seeking!

Overall its been a great week! I’ve enjoyed spending time getting to know my companion and housemates more, and its really changed things for all of us! 

Its only when we truly know someone that we can understand them for who they are instead of judging them for what we see. When we do, like a favorite book character of mine says, we then love them for who they are. In the same way, when we truly seek to understand our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost we learn to love them and we will be blessed for that effort in ways we can only imagine. 

As always, I love you all and I look forward to writing another letter next week! 

Sincerely,
Elder Whitchurch
Mosiah 2:17