Monday, December 7, 2015
December?!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes mother I received my Christmas package, thank you heaps haha!

I have no idea where the year has gone!  I can't believe that it is already December, and I can't believe it has already snowed twice in Kennewick.  Too crazy!  This past week was really good and I’ll share some good highlights from our week.

1.  I got called to be the District Leader.  I'm not actually sure if this is a highlight or not haha.  I think I would be fine with being a missionary with no callings my whole mission, but I don't think that the Lord works that way.  Anyone who knows me knows that things like being a district leader stress me out.  My mom talked about stress in her letter to me and she said that the girls in the family have a tendency to worry a lot.  Either I'm a girl or it runs in the whole family haha.  Kevin does not stress though so let's hope I'm not a girl haha.  I'm very excited to lead the district though, both Wairoa and Nuhaka are tough areas so I want to really keep them pumping.  Elder Barbosa and I worked really hard this past transfer and we want to have more success this transfer.  When we had our baptism with Tinika and Ricky it was the first baptism here since February.  So we are hoping to find more people to baptize this next transfer.  Elder Barbosa is probably the hardest working missionary in the mission.  Yesterday was fast Sunday and it was 5:00 PM when I pulled into our neighborhood.  Elder Barbosa said, “What are we doing?!”  I was like, “We are going home to have dinner.”  He was like “what?!!”  He wanted to keep working haha.  I was like, “Man I love your enthusiasm but I'm starving” haha.  He is the best son ever though.  We have had heaps of fun being companions over this last transfer.  I'm very excited to get to spend one more transfer with him.  I'm way worried though that this transfer is going to fly by!  The whole mission is getting together in 3 weeks for a Christmas Devotional.  It is going to be way fun!  We are going to be learning a missionary haka.  One of the members wrote a haka for our mission and we are all going to learn it.  I'm stoked!

2.  This week we had our Ward Christmas party!  It was so much fun!  We played heaps of games and it was fun to run around with all the kids from the ward.  We played tug of war with the whole ward and a game where you tie a balloon to your leg and try and pop everyone's balloons with your feet.  The best part about the ward party was that we had 5 investigators there.  Antonia and Anastasia were two of the investigators (they are sisters) and they also brought their little brother Liam and Antonia brought her son Taylor.  Even better than coming to the ward party they both came to church on Sunday!  It was way good to have them at church and we are really working hard with them.  Antonia is about 24 and has a partner, and Anastasia is like 20 and has a partner as well.  So we have a lot to do to work with them still, but they are really making good progress.  Back to the ward Christmas party though.  After all the games we had a mean feed!  We had sausage, hamburgers, and chops.  It is funny how much different our ward party is in New Zealand compared the ward parties I am used to.  It was heaps of fun though!

3.  I love being a missionary!!!!!!!!!  It is by far the hardest work I have ever done but I love it so much.  It is so great to spend my whole week surrounded by the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I have realized how little I really involved myself in the gospel back home.  I wish I would have studied my scriptures more and read the words of the prophets and the apostles!  I love listening to the conference talks so much!  My advice for the week is to surround yourself with the gospel.  Find ways to be more efficient with your time so that you can really give some time to studying the gospel.  Being a missionary is amazing!  I love the people of New Zealand, and I love Wairoa so much!  I can't believe that I'm going to have to leave Wairoa at some point.  I think I could serve my whole mission here.

Bad news for the week haha.  I possibly have gained 16 pounds since being in New Zealand haha.  Today we went to the pharmacy to weigh ourselves because I was curious if I have put on any weight haha.  Well turns out I have added quite a bit of cushion haha.  Which was actually surprising, because I don't feel like I'm eating very much.  Do I look massive in my pictures haha?  I'm really hoping that scale was just broken haha but who knows.  If I have already put on 16 pounds in my first area I think I might be in trouble.

I love the mission and I love Christmas.  I'm so thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that he loves me and knows me.  I know that he loves each and every one of you and knows you personally.  I know he has felt everything we have ever felt, and that he is always there to succor his people.  He is always waiting for us to grab his outstretched hand.

Elder Brunson