Happy Mother's Day!

Hello everyone!

We have still been trying to work with the members a lot. It went pretty well this past week, but we are wanting to step it up. The members seem to be a little bit more excited about missionary work, and we are developing good relationships with them. They seem more willing to have us over and to let us help them out with stuff. I really hope this has a lasting effect on the ward. It would just be awesome if the missionary spirit just exploded here. This is a very good ward, and I love them a lot. The Elder's Quorum President in the ward is awesome. He is a shoe cobbler and he said he is making me some moccasins. It is really nice of him, and I am pretty pumped for the moccasins! There are a lot of other awesome members here too. It seems like the members are opening up to the missionaries more and more, so hopefully it keeps on going!

Some members in our ward had a grandson receive his mission call this past week. He is called to serve in the Argentina Bahia Blanca mission, which happens to be the same mission as my friend, Elder Ethan Durocher! I am banking on the chance that Elder Durocher trains him. I am excited for him, and it was cool to be at a mission call opening on my mission and feel that same feeling which I felt when I opened my call. The mission is the most influential and powerful thing ever. It has changed my life, and hopefully I have been able to help others change theirs.

It was so good to be able to talk with my family. Definitely a very sweet experience. Alisha freaked me out by showing me a ring on her finger and I totally thought she was engaged. I freaked out for a minute until she told me it was a joke. Erika had stuck a pillow under her shirt too so it looked like she was pregnant. My family is tricky. Love those guys a ton. #Familiesare🔗. (The paperclip emoji is the closest thing I could find to an infinity symbol).

We helped Sister Davis out with her seminary class on Friday. Most of the missionaries in our zone were there, and we were able to talk a bit about our missions and what they have meant to us. I shared an experience of when Elder Duce and I met James in Red Bluff and how he was able to quit smoking and be baptized. It was cool to see the Juniors get more excited about going on missions. One girl spoke up and said she really appreciates all of us for serving missions. She
mentioned how not everybody appreciates the missionaries but how she does. She said, "I just wanted to say thank you for those who don't." It was very kind of her.

We were able to do a bit of service this past week as well. We did a bunch of weeding and raking! I am learning how to tend a garden a lot better.

That was a big part of what happened this week. It was a good one. On to another! Love you guys a ton!

Elder Ethan "Monkey Wrench" Nielsen