Hey Buuud(s)

Sorry for the late e-mail peeps, we were invited to a fish (and everything else) fry for lunch and we were doing stuff this morning. The guy who fried up the fish and taters for us is a less-active guy. One of those guys that really has no reason for not coming to church, but is a really good guy and fun to be with and has all sorts of stories that are either funny, depressing, vulgar, or all three. He's Roni. Good guy.

Anyway.

Pshspshpsh, good week. Had exchanges with the Salem elders. They're a tiny little branch whose branch president is a senior missionary and the second counselor is one of the elders. Good people over there. I was with Elder Densley who is the second counselor and he's a champ. Oh! And they had a really comfy double bed. Or full. One of the two. Regardless, I fit on it and it was like heaven. That's the good stuff right there.

We picked up a new awesome investigator. His name is Tommy and he's sweet. We had dinner at a member's house and he was there and was open and then we met with him on Saturday and it was great and the Spirit was there and he said he'd come to church and then he didn't and we were sad. But that's okay, because that's what next week is for! He's a real good guy though, and we're excited to teach him. We pulled some hardcore missionary skillz on him like really planning out the lesson good and extending bold invitations and stuff and it was sweet.

We're working with a few other peeps and hopefully we'll be seeing some real progress soon. Busy busy busy, which is good. We had interviews with President this week and he told me some neat stuff. We were talking about desires and he said, "You can tell what a person really wants by what they're doing right now. People that are in prison can't say, 'I don't want to be in prison,' because if that were really true, they wouldn't have done whatever it was to put them there in the first place." Good point. I pictured myself wanting an awesome life and great family and being all righteous and stuff and then sitting on the couch playing video games and eating an entire box of Cheez-Itz. And it's sad sometimes, because too often that's really what I want to do. I say to myself, "Psh, no, I don't want that, who wants that? That's a pathetic sad life." and then before I know it I'm standing on the couch fist-pumping with Cheez-Itz flying across the room because I finally beat Bowser. I think that's part of what the prophet meant when he quoted that poem:

Good timber does not grow with ease,

The stronger wind, the stronger trees.

The further sky, the greater length.

The more the storm, the more the strength.

By sun and cold, by rain and snow,

In trees and men good timbers grow

Obviously trials and stuff make you stronger, but I think sometimes it's easy to hang out in the "spiritual greenhouse" where it's safe and stuff. There's probably an environmentalist greenhouse gasses metaphor in there too.

We drive a lot here. We're probably going to have to take a walking day or something. Those are the pittiest.

In other news, Elder Hegsted and I have decided to have a "Work Harder than President Shumway" week here sometime in the future. The goal is what the title suggests and it's going to be horrifically sweet. I guess that's what the 18 month mark will do to you. Which is Wednesday by the way.

Weird.

Also time to start eating healthy. I may or may not have bought a bag of Red Vines and some chips today in preparation for swearing off junk food.

Love you guys, hope your weeks are super duper and all that jazz.

Elder Christopher Drake