Be Prepared to Learn Something

Friends and family!

We found 25 new investigators again this week. That was our goal! I am very pleased with that. Everyone in the zone is working really hard.

Elder Hutchens and I were able to teach 23 lessons this week! It's been awhile since I've been able to teach 20 in a week. He and I are working well together. I really enjoy being his companion. I've been thinking a lot about mason this week. He has a great privilege of going to the MTC. That was some of the best three weeks of my life. And he gets to stay there for 6 weeks! Lucky guy. I absolutely loved it there. Mason will do well. I'm really excited for him. Thinking of it makes me reflect back to when I first started. I wish I knew how to instill certain things about obedience, hard work, and missionary skills but all I know how to do is repeat myself and bear testimony. So I hope he can learn fast that working on those three things will be the best thing he can do for his mission. Just keep that focus and everything else works out. Just as long as you're not focused on anything else. #1 should be missionary work. That's what these two years are for.

Yesterday we were tracting and we knocked the door of a woman who wasn't wearing a very modest shirt to say the least. But she was very nice! We introduced ourselves and she said "I grew up Mormon" I asked how long it had been since she had attended. She said "Well, I haven't attended since I came out as gay." I continued unfazed and asked if she would be interested in relearning about the gospel. She said "I don't think my wife would be okay with that". It is so weird to hear a woman refer to someone as her wife. It seems so backwards. But it makes for good stories at district meeting.

Kinley will be baptized this Saturday if no one gets sick. We announced it again and expect it to happen. She is again excited to have it happen. So we're preparing for it.

Also, in the zone there is another baptism Saturday morning. So we should have 3 baptisms this weekend and 6 for the month of March! Very good. Hermiston stake doesn't usually get that much. We have a lot lined up for April too. We're excited.

We are teaching a young man named Jeremy Raymond. I don't know if I have mentioned him. He is in the YSA and has attended for the past month now. And is progressing pretty nicely. He comes to FHE and any other activities that he can. We were teaching him one night and his sister decided to sit in. She loved the lesson and took a book of mormon. She is 16 years old so we told the missionaries who cover the family ward in that area to go over. They stopped by a couple days later and have been back since with the YW president. Her name is Teona. She went to church this Sunday and had friends there. She is planning on getting baptized on the 14th of April! So cool. The missionaries who teach her are the ones who live with Elder Hutchens and I. Elder Babbitt and Elder Knight. We're excited for them. It's been awhile since they've had this kind of success.

Last night we got to go over to Brother Puzey's house to share a thought with him. Brother Puzey used to be a Bishop and has served on the High council for a total of 13 years. He is one of the smartest people I have ever met and we talked to him for about an hour last night. Before we went over there I said to Elder Hutchens "be prepared to learn something". And we definitely did. He says some amazing stuff. I think it is so cool that we get to talk to so many people on our missions. Members and non-members. Lately I have been telling myself (and Elder Hutchens) before we go into an appointment "be prepared to learn something" and without fail we always come out of the appointment enlightened and spiritually uplifted.

Well. this was a weird email. Thats how it usually works I guess. I just throw a lot of random things down. Oh well.

Love,

Elder Paxman

Pictures from the last Zone Leader Conference: