Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

Date: Sunday, November 28, 2010, 1:51 PM

Well yet again another week has come and gone. On Saturday I hit the 18 month mark which is a little scary, but very exciting! We had another great we of teaching finding converting and yes baptizing! This week Beau was baptized on Saturday morning! Mom he is the brother of the lady that wrote you the letter 2 weeks ago! It was a great baptism, but definitely a "nail bitter". We had to do the baptism on Sunday morning before church because the ward had so many other activities on Friday and Saturday! He was supposed to be there at 7:30, but we got a call from his mom telling us that he was not home yet and it was 7:45. After I got off the phone I looked at my companion and said well it is time to pray!!! We found an empty room in the Chapel and knelt down to plead with heavenly father to get Beau there quickly. He was out with his friends the night before and had not come home yet! We felt peace as we prayed and held out hope that he would still come! Sure enough about 10 minutes later we got another call from him mom saying he is home and getting ready! I t was a great success.

Last week we got a new ward mission leader so it has been good to "train him up" in righteousness. He is so humble and willing to do anything that we ask of him!!! He and his 3 daughters sung at the baptism. They are truly incredible singers! He is a Samoan man that drives a bus for work and so his hours are crazy, but he comes out with us any time that he can! We also found so really good people this week that we are hoping to get baptized in December. It will definitely be a crazy month with the holidays, and transfers half way through the month! We are working very hard as a mission to follow the call of a Prophet and saves souls monthly right now about 75% of the mission is doing that! Also President has released his new vision for 2011................he is challenging us to saves souls weekly. We have not focused on any number goal, but to just save souls. It is so exciting that our mission is getting to that level. The Lord is blessing us so abundantly. We are focusing on the basics as Always: Faith, Revelation, and obedience with exactness! These are the things that work no need to get fancy. the Lord has promised by small and simple means great things will come to pass!

I am glad to hear that everyone had a good thanksgiving, unfortunately that holiday does not exist in this country ha ha. It scares me to think and see how big and grown up everyone is getting with birthdays and such. I will not recognize anyone ha ha. Tonight we, Elder Brown and I, will have a party with the ward for our birthdays so we are excited for that. I think just about everyone that emailed me today was worried if I would get a cake or not. You should be more worried about me eating too much cake. We just get fed TOO much. I know many of you never thought you would see the day that I said that, but I am ready to get back to being me! We have started playing football every morning so that is helping me get in better shape! Sorry for the short email, but we have things to do I love you all and am thankful for the constant support that I receive from your faith and prayers!

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Elder Matthew Lee Stucki N.Z.A.M.