New Pictures

Here are a few pictures from the camera card Mat sent us for Christmas.

I don't know the story behind this picture of Mat in a lava lava, but it looks like they are all having a great time.

This says it all.

Saying goodbye to Elder Fenton at transfers.

Transfer day.

Carrying out AP responsibilities at transfers. I've never seen pictures of the transfer process, and these are great.

President and Sister Dance.

Mat took about 40 pictures of this moose, so I thought I'd throw one in for fun.

Elder Squires and Elder Kerecman.

Nice hats!

Post-Christmas Week

Christmas week was great. There's not much to tell family because I told it all a couple of days ago over the phone. Elder Kerecman and I did a lot of finding and teaching this week. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day both were a blast, and we did a lot of walking and talking. One man even told us that he was non-dimensional when he was trying to say non-denominational. I wish I could tell about all of the funny tracting experiences I've had on my mission, but I'll save those for later.

Now to the spiritual stuff. We had an awesome experience yesterday tracting. A couple of lessons had fallen through, and we had planned as a backup to tract a certain area, so we went and started knocking on doors. While we were knocking on a door, after we had tracted quite a few doors already, a truck pulled up right in front of the door in the driveway where we were knocking. It's always a little awkward when the owner of the house pulls up when you're at their door, but then you know you get a chance to talk to them. An older lady, and a young couple got out of the truck, and we basically just followed them inside after the mom told us she was an active member and invited us in. Her daughter is a member, but not active at all, but the daughter's husband was not a member. We went inside and talked for a little bit, and then taught the first discussion. The husband had heard the lessons a few times already, and accepted the invitation to be baptized. We were very blessed to be there at the right time to run into them. We were also blessed that the active mom was there, or else we might not have been able to go in and teach. The work is going great here, and this week has been one of the best of my mission. Anyway, I need to get running so everyone have a great week!

Love Elder Mat Squires

Christmas is Almost Here!

Merry Christmas everyone! It's been a great holiday season so far. This week Jamie was confirmed a member of the Church. We taught her a few days ago with President and Sister Dance, and they loved having that experience. Her testimony is powerful. She is already a great member and is getting involved sharing the gospel with her friends. This last week we finished going around to have meetings with all the zones. We were in Fairbanks on Tuesday, and it was almost -30 F. So cold! Anchorage is suprisingly not that bad. The worst it's gotten was -13 F this week, but right now its 12 above.

Elder Kerecman and I have been having a blast in the Campbell Park ward. We're teaching frequently and we love the members a lot. Tonight I will be on exchanges with Elder Piiparinen, who I've served with twice already. It will be fun to spend a day with him. This week should be a great week with Christmas. Being a missionary during the holidays is different, but it is a blast. We have dinners planned with good members and it will be fun to have my second Christmas away from home. 2011 is approaching fast. I hope everyone has a great Christmas!

Love Elder Squires

Two Busy Weeks

Malolele!

Well the past two weeks have been great. Just a short update on last week--It was an amazing experience getting ready for transfers and being able to attend the temple. It was a really quick and busy week. On Tuesday we had a great day with all the missionaries traveling and changing areas. It was also a neat experience again to be with the missionaries going home as they depart. This week has been full of uplifting and spiritual experiences. I've been able to attend meetings with other missionaries in Anchorage and Soldotna, and over the phone with Juneau.

Elder Kerecman and I also had great proselyting experiences. One Saturday we went tracting at a specific street that we had planned to tract before hand. We had tracted quite a few homes (and it was freezing!) and we were nearing the end of what we had planned to tract, when a man came out of his garage and said hi. We went up and talked to him, and he said that he always enjoys listening to messages, so he welcomed us in. We helped him move a few things, and then went in and started teaching. He told us that he was moving, and hadn't been there in two weeks, but had just come for a few hours on that day. He had been going through some really rough things in his life, and was searching for more answers and hope. He saw us walking down the street from his window, and conveniently placed himself outside his garage when we walked by so we would see him. We had a great lesson teaching about prophets, and how the gospel was restored through Joseph Smith, and also about the Book of Mormon. We invited him to read from it and pray about it, and he accepted. He doesn't live in our area anymore, so other missionaries will teach him, but it was a great experience.

We also had a baptism yesterday! We've been teaching a lady named Jamie, and she has had a great desire to be baptized. Yesterday she was baptized by her friend's husband, and then bore a powerful testimony of the gospel. She is great! Her sister came to the baptism,and we will be teaching her on Wednesday. They both attended a different church before, but they got a new pastor, and heard that he just went to school, and was just picked to come here, and that's how he recieved his authority. They knew that there was something missing, and Jamie has been greatly blessed already from her decision to be baptized. This gospel is the truth, and the Holy Ghost bears witness of that. We're so blessed to have a prophet and the restored gospel on the earth today!

Love Elder Squires

Short One

Hey sorry for the brief email. Transfers are today and we've been meeting with the new missionaries and the trainers all morning, and I just have a couple of minutes. This last week was great! There was a ton that happened, which I'll have to email more about next week. Elder Kerecman and I are still serving together here in Anchorage. Things are going great, and hopefully we will have a baptism this weekend! I hope you are all doing great!

Love Elder Squires