Sand surfing, An upcoming Baptism...and a really Great Week

Monday we went sand sledding, how they sled here in Cali is on sand not snow. That was really weird but, oh my heck, so much fun. I was picking sand out of my ears for days after. We went to these big dunes by the ocean and we jumped on them, sledded off and the whole deal, it was a blast. 

Sand Surfing

Tuesday was cool. We did some service in the morning and then went to an all you can eat buffet and I did not eat all I could. I'm trying to slim down my last year here. It has been cool, my comp and me have been getting up at 5:30am and BIKING to the gym to play basketball, so that has been cool. We also had a great lesson with our friend, Anthony. 

Elder Huston

Wednesday I was on an exchange with Elder Garrard. We did service putting down wood chips and that was good. We had fun pulling weeds, killing a black widow, laying down wood chips...a good day of service and a fun exchange. We had a great lesson about the Priesthood with Brother Sawyer. He is our family, all members except dad, who has a date finally, he just has to give up chew, but he is so close to being done he is almost there. And he makes fun of us lots, like dad, it's kinda cool. Miss you dad!!!

Text from Sister Felix 

Thursday we had a good weekly planning and got our week all figured out, so that is always good. We also had a lesson with a lady who we have been trying to meet for months, or she has, and we had a great lesson with her and are going back on her request, so that is really cool. We also set up a lesson with another potential investigator that we have been trying to meet up with for ages, so a good day. 

Santa Maria District

Friday was a roller coaster of emotion and spiritually draining. We had an awesome DM (District Meeting) and that was good. It worked out just how I planned it and I must say, it is kinda fun being DL (District Leader), just a lot of public talking and people coming to me for help, so that is new, but kinda cool.
After that we had a lesson with V** :( That broke me. This girl KNOWS the church is true and has family who HATES us. They have made it so hard for her and she was crying trying to figure out if she should still be taught or back off. Me and the member with us, (we are both converts) bore our testimonies which made her and the member cry and me tear up and we finally told her we will be here whenever she is ready. It was so sad because she knows it is true, but family is just so important to her. 

Elders Leavitt & Garrard

After that I did my first baptism interview with this girl named Hannah, she's the one I'll be baptizing. She passed so well and is the coolest 14 year old girl and she asked me to baptize her, but the interview was so powerful, the spirit really just took over. 

Saturday WAS PRETTY GREAT!! We biked lots to save miles and we had a great dinner with this less active, part member family. The sister can play the piano like no other. She played movie songs for us and it was good. She had some amazing music and she just read the music and played it, it was kinda cool. We also went to Anthony's house and played this STUPID game called 'Pie face'. Yea, exactly  how it sounds. So it is a chance game and you pass this device around and push a button and there is a chance of a handful of whipped cream to the face. I got the cream 6 times, so that was pointless but fun I guess haha...

Teaching in Primary

Sunday I gave another talk, which was on gospel study and I told our story, and a few other cool things and then I felt prompted to tell our story of our lesson with V** this week, and I was tearing up again and I saw both the members who were at the lesson, crying so it was a pretty okay talk. I think I was actually excited to give this one and we had a choice over me or Elder Huston. I wanted to and he didn't, so I got stuck with it, so yea, I like talking now, weird eh? We also had another good lesson with Andrew tonight. 

We've had a really great week and it was a lot of fun. 

Well, Mom Dad Scotty Shel...I hope y'all got my letters and I love you all. Extended family, MUAH I love you all so much
Ward families and friends, I love  you all and I'll talk to you soon MUAH!!!

Elder Routledge

Blessed with another
fantastic companion, Elder Huston