Transfers, Egg Nog...and Miracles

Mom, this week could not have been better! 

I was back in the Santa Maria 3rd ward this week, so I got to see all of my old favourite members, so that was awesome. I am staying with Barb and Dan and my other SM1 ward homies and I have Elder Shaw as my new companion. I know him pretty well, so that's going to be cool. 
I got to be with Elder Du Plessis his last week of the mission as his companion, so that was cool. I also figured out how to send pictures with the new camera haha. 

I wanted to say, mom, how much I love and cherish our relationship. A lot of people dont' have what we have. I love you more than words can describe. You have raised me to be the man I want to be and the man God wants me to be. You have supported me ever since I first drove you crazy. Man, I really am amazed at how far you have come and how much you have grown. I love you with my whole heart and I am going to get down to the dirt and dig my last t6 weeks. Mom, I hope you know that you make me so proud and I hope I can make you and others proud, even with all my flaws. 

Monday was our Pday with Elder Mitra so we made Nachos and had some good conversation with him and our district. We joked around and had a blast and also saw Barb and Dan that night, and mom, THEY SPOILED US LIKE CRAZY, giving us all kinds of treats. I love that family so much. It was a good day for us. 

With Elder Mitra at the ocean

Tuesday was a bit harder. We took Elder Mitra to Santa Barbara really early and we had some time to kill before we took him to the airport, so we went and got some beach photos before he left. Then we sent him off to fly 20 hours to India and it was pretty sad, I really liked him, he was a great companion. Then we went and saw Anthony and that was pretty cool. They are another family I love. 

Wednesday was cool. We taught a girl we contacted the day before and she was pretty cool. We taught her the first lesson and it was good. She has the funniest pugs, it was pretty fun watching them just run into things or run around. 

Thursday was cool. We went out to Jeanne's farm and pulled weeds and I found a frog haha. I love her as well and she just adores me, haha, it's so cool, I love this area. It was a fun morning, and later that day we had Elder Du Plessis' last interview with President and that was pretty cool for him...kind of. 

With his new frog friend 

I also go to do a baptism interview for a family I tried to work with when I was here the first time and the husband was LA (less Active) and is now active. The wife was very anti-mormon and is now getting baptized, so I did her interview and that was really cool. We had a great dinner with Barb and got me a full carton of Eggnog. She doesn't know this...yet haha, but I drank it so fast that I almost got sick haha. Man, Christmas time is the best!

I kind of mentioned a family we picked up last week, Marissa and her family. Well the dad is a LA member and we asked the mom, Marissa and her two daughters to commit to be baptized January 7 and they said yes!! Dad is hopefully going to get ACTIVE AND DO IT!! That was pretty cool. We also picked up two kids we're teaching now and one of the kids was in a car crash and lost his hand. It was sewn back on so he has a sweet scar so I am excited to teach them. 

Friday was just as busy. We had our last district meeting and that was awesome. Everyone bore testimony and it was just so cool. It was a pretty cool meeting. So...this is where it gets insane, so...

Elder Du Plessis

Sister E. is the older woman I was teaching. She decided to come back to church when I was here the first time and I was dying to see her. Well, we thought we would stop by because she fell away again, and I wanted to see her. We went by and she was upstairs and her husband said, "Not now" and she yelled from upstairs to call first and don't just stop by. I told him who I was and we left. We got a call later that night from our WML (Ward Mission Leader - He is friends with Sister E) saying she was crying when she found out it was me at the door and she didn't come down. She asked me to come back. 

On Saturday at the SM3 ward Christmas breakfast I see her (Sister E) and we talk, kinda hug and she said I have to come over and see her on Sunday (just wait for that insane news). Both the SM1 and SM3 parties were great and we had Becky get baptized today. It was just great. 

Sunday...are you ready for this...So I get to go to two wards and bear my testimony twice. Once in my current ward and once in my old ward and see all my old homies as well as my current ones, so cool!!! 

Jukebox...& a toque?

Now the lesson with Sister E, just to make you realize how crazy this was, this was the only lesson on my mission where I cried. She told us why she stopped coming back these past few months after I left and some other stuff she had to endure. While I am crying bearing testimony to her why she needs to come back and how I dream of going to the Temple with her one day, she starts crying. She is softening up when she tells us that one of the missionaries went by and said she was not worth their time among other things. I was so angry at this missionary for dropping Sister E when she needed us the most and honestly I had to forgive him which is still so hard for me. It broke my heart to see how hurt she was. Mom, I love this woman more than anything. She is my mission miracle, and I am pleased to announce that she has decided to come back to church again and I gave her the biggest hug and we left. 
This has been so crazy and one of the BEST weeks I have had in a long time with transfers to all the miracles, it has been great. 

I love you all and I hope you have a great week. MUAH. Have fun together and please know how much I love and appreciate and adore you all at home. MUAH

Love Elder Routledge