SIMPLY TEACHING

10 August 2010

Well hey hey hey!
Hows life in the big metropolis of Eugene? (You still live in Eugene right? )
Life in Ulysses and Hugoton is awesome. The sun is still shining, the wind is still blowing, the trees still aren't growing, and the gospels still true!
You have a small birthday package for me!!!!!!!!!! I new someone cared about me!
It looks like you had a great time at the beach last weekend. Those looked like really cool beaches! Or maybe its just the fact that I've been looking at nothing but dirt for the past four months! (Just joking...I love Ulysses!) Those rock walls with warts on them look really fun to climb on! (By the way...I like pic "P1060603"....Emma, Dad and Sam walking single file down the rocks!)
Whoa!!! the kitchen and dining room are getting wood flooring? I can't wait to see the pics of that. That will look really nice! Are you buying from Jerry's? :) Are you installing it or getting it installed? That's sweet!
So I went and got my finger sized a couple days ago....no, I haven't met anyone!.....and my ring size is 11. Again...the CTR ring thing isn't a necessity....just an idea.
Well yesterday we had an awesome zone conference. We were really focused on two main topics. The first was adversity and how it is a blessing to have adversity in our lives. Without it we would not grow. We also talked about how to be more effective teachers. Especially how to earn the trust of people within the first few minutes we spend with them and also how we can help them understand early on what our purpose as missionaries is. I learned so much. I also realized that I need to be more bold when I'm teaching. And the way I can do that is by making things plainer. I need to teach in a simpler, more clear way.
We got to put the things that we learned in zone conference to the test last night as we went and visited with a part member family. The husband is not a member and hasn't been too open in talking religion with the missionaries in quite a few years. We felt prompted to go see him last night though and see if he would talk with us. He did let us talk with him! We sat and talked for about an hour and discussed his concerns. Before we even really started talking with him he told us that he had a standard question for the missionaries and that no missionaries had ever been able to give him a satisfactory answer. By the time we left he had felt the spirit and he said that that was the best answer he had ever gotten. He agreed to pray. Tonight we are going to commit him to read the Book of Mormon and come to church. It was an awesome lesson.
Well...I was going to attach some pics but my card is full so I'll be sending it home here pretty quick anyways. I just need to print a couple off this weekend when we're in Liberal or Guyman for district meeting (They have Wal-marts!) and then I'll send it home!
Well.....I have more to tell you but I have no more time. I guess it will have to be told in the letter!
Thanks for everything! And thanks in advance for my package! You're awesome!
Love you
Love Ben.