Transfer 2, Week 3

Hey! I'm emailing a little later today because we decided to go on a hike today with a couple members from Utah that are here working for the summer. It was the Shoup Bay Trail that we went on. It was pretty awesome. I only got a few pictures because a lot of it was walking through high brush, but we hiked to a pretty big waterfall, and Elder Wood and I went really high up the side of the mountain and were looking down onto this big waterfall. It was pretty sweet. It was good to get out and do something more physical than fishing for once. The Silvers aren't in yet and the pinks are are all spawning and getting big humps and dying off, so they aren't that great to eat anymore, even though they aren't in the first place. It stinks that most of what you guys eat in restaurants is pink salmon. I've had Red Salmon from the Copper river, and supposedly they are the best, but I've heard that Kings and Silvers are great too. They are all better than pinks. It might be a few weeks before I can catch some to send home because they haven't made it into the harbor yet. I'll keep you guys posted.

Well, this week was still slow, but we have one new investigator, and one from the week before, so we are teaching two people right now. They are two women; Marissa and Amanda. We have only taught them each the first discussion, and have appointments to teach both of them the second discussion (the Plan of Savlation) this week on Tuesday and Wednesday. I'm excited because I haven't been able to teach the second discussion to anyone yet besides role playing with my companion and in the MTC. I didn't think I would go one and a half transfers without teaching anyone the second discussion, but it's just that slow here. I think things will pick up a little though this week and next week so let's hope. We have been working with a less-active member lately. His name is Bro. Warren, and I think I have mentioned him before. He was baptized about a year and a half ago, and right before him and his wife were about to go to the temple to be sealed his wife died. He then got offended by some members and went less-active. We had a really awesome lesson with him last night. He opened up a little when we asked him about his conversion story, and he said that his home teachers have started to visit him again too. He said he is ready to take a step back and get his life back in order. He even showed us the pictures of him and his wife when they were baptized together as we were leaving. He was going to move and live with his daughter at the end of the month, but something happened and now he is moving to Washington. I think he feels kind of alone and unwanted, and he said he doesn't want to leave Alaska but he is moving to start over his life. He isn't moving until next May now. I think Heavenly Father did that for a reason, because I had been worried that if he moved at the end of this month, we wouldn't be able to work with him and help him become active again. Now we can spend time working with him and he can apply the Atonement and become active before he moves. I think the hardships he's been going through with finding a place to move to will actually turn out to be a blessing.

So last Monday I told you that our Branch Mission Leader and Assistant Branch Mission Leader were released, and yesterday a new one was called. It confirmed my worst fears of who it could be. He is one of the garbage men here, and was baptized like 5 or 6 years ago. He's been the Melchezidek Priesthood group leader for the last 5 years. He has 8 kids that are obsessed with Pokemon, and jump all over us when we eat dinner at their house. He is still very overweight, but has lost over 120 pounds in the last year, and his wife is big too. He is very eccentric about his gospel beliefs and pretty much everything else too. He honestly is planning to set up his daughters with a Missionary serving in Valdez when they turn like 12 or something. Good thing the oldest one is 6 so I don't have to deal with it. Too bad for the missionary that serves here in 6 years haha. He thinks that eating corn is against the Word of Wisdom, and when I suggested hot chocolate for an activity he told me that he doesn't drink it because it's also against the Word of Wisdom because it is a "hot drink." I've heard from other missionaries that have served here that when they have taken him to lessons he starts teaching false doctrine about the W of W so they have to kind of stop the lesson and correct him. He's a good guy though, and he is very sincere in what he does. We will defintiely get a lot done because he takes his calling very seriously, but we just won't have as much fun as we did with our last mission leader. Oh well. I'm not complaining, because he is always really nice to the elders and serious about the church, I'm just informing you of the circumstance.

We have Zone Conference this week, and a couple lessons with investigators so it should be a busy week. My memory card in my camera is full so I'll need you to send back my other one please so I can send you this one. Mom tell Lindsey and Lane that I'm still waiting for the package they promised to send me. I love you guys! Love Mat