Cookies and Pie

Hey Mom!

Virginia told me she got the recipe already from you. That's awesome. She asked us what our favorite cookies were, and so I told her it was your pumpkin cookies, so she said she would email you and ask for the recipe.

It's been a great week, and things are always exciting in Whitehorse. Last Monday something awesome happened a few hours after I finished emailing. We were at Bro. McDonald's house playing some music, and got a call from Karen, this really awesome woman who has been investigating for quite a few months. She said she wanted us to come over as soon as we could, and that she was anxious, and had some pie for us. We didn't waste much time getting over there. What can I say? I love pie. Since there was pie involved, we knew it was going to be either be something really good, or really bad, but inside I knew it would be something good. When we got there, Karen dished us and her husband up some Lemon Meringue pie (it was awesome by the way) and then told us that she had gone away for the weekend, and received an impression that she needed to be baptized. We were so happy to hear that! It definitely made my week. Karen is so strong, and we have been hoping and praying that she would recieve an answer to her prayers. We will be talking with her to find and set a day where she will be baptized. Miracles happen to us here every week!

Caitlin will be baptized this Saturday, and we are really excited for her. We've only been teaching her for a month, and it's been amazing to see the gospel light up her life. She is so ready to be baptized, and Saturday will be a great day for her.

Well, yesterday we had our Branch Conference here, and two members of the Stake Presidency came from Juneau and Petersburg to be with us. During sacrament meeting, the doors were propped open to let in cool air, and a little bird flew in. It was pretty funny, and pretty distracting for some people while people were giving talks. It couldn't find it's way back out the wide open doors, and was really scared and panicky. In it's moments of panic and frustration, it flew over Elder Stephens while he was sitting by the piano, and it let loose its bowels on his pants. No one noticed, and he showed me after. I learned first hand in Valdez that birds (especially sea gulls) make it a special point and go out of their way to defecate on as many innocent bystanders as possible. It was pretty funny.

Zone Conference was this week, and it was great as always. This was possibly my last Zone Conference over the phone for a long time. It will be weird because I've spent the majority of my mission listening to everything over the phone. It's been great.

I hope you are all doing great!

Love Mat