Elder Shurtz: Christmas has come and gone...bring in the new year!

Family Testimonies

Hello Everyone!

What a great week! Monday we had another lesson with Heather, talking about the plan of Salvation (we spent Wednesday as well talking about it). She had many questions, and on Wednesday she had all the questions in the pamphlet filled out, even when we didn't even tell her about it! It is so amazing to see someone gain that desire to follow Christ, even when they do not fully understand that desire.

Tuesday, we had a lesson with Jaymie, which went good. She want to figure this out and not be fake. She also wants to include her family in this, which we are excited for too.

Thursday, we met with Hope. She is going through a lot of things right now, but yet has the best attitude I have ever seen. What a great woman she is. The whole court thing is going to carry into January, so we are anxiously waiting for it to go through.

Score!

Christmas Eve, we decided to go out to those areas we normally don't get to. We spent most of the day tracting. In fact, when we where just leaving a cop pulled us over, because some people thought we were 'casing the houses' so we could be Grinches and burglarize all the homes. He said we where the best dressed burglars he has seen! We then had Pizza and Wings (a big thing here in New York) at the Sanders. The Sanders are the best. They are always helping us out, despite there many health, and other problems. True servants of Christ.

Christmas Day, we woke up, and when through our normal daily routine (exercise, shower, dress, breakfast, hour for personal study, and hour for companion study). Then we opened presents. We then went over to the Sanders again for dinner, where there was enough food to feed 40, yet we only had 6. (In the pictures: Teddy in the black guy, Sister sanders is next to him; Brother Sanders is the guy by the chair; and Brother Capron, a strong recent convert, is at the dinner table). I ate way to much. Then we stopped by a few less-actives and even read a bit from the book of mormon with one of them. That night, we called home. It was so weird to dial home on the same phone we work with every day, and even weirder talking to family on it. But it was nice to hear everyone voices.

Sunday we did not have any investigators to church (grrrrr...), and it was a record low for the year of 14 people. It was so cold last night, spent most of the day visiting old investigators and others who said they might be interested. A lot of time tracting too. And I loss one of my gloves! So today I need to buy some more.

Thank you everyone for the gifts! My life is truely blessed. The Books of Mormon made me tear up and will find good people to give them to, to bless their lives.

I love you all,

Elder Shurtz