Read Nicole's Email First

First of all...

What the heck, my sister is pregnant. I really don't believe it. Not sure how to take in the fact that I will be 'Uncle Elder Metcalf' now. Weird. Well I better be getting a seriously large amount of pictures for the remainder of my short stay in the TDM. I knew there was a real reason behind her quitting her job. Wow, that is weird. I actually thought I might end up winning the inheritance in a few years, but she definitely snuck that surprise in. Mom and Dad, you must be freaking out. Now half your conversations will no longer be 'where's my grandkid' but 'how's my grandkid.'

So much for being the favorite child. It's like in Calvin and Hobbes, my polls just dropped significantly but for good reason! Wow, Quinn and Nicole are pregnant really? Is this some sort of joke? hmmm...

It is heart breaking that I won't ever see the little tyke when he is a really really little tyke. This is why I demand pictures! Well that news makes this week's email totally hopeless as far as grandeur goes because it can't get much greater then the fruit of your loins being increased. How awesome is that! I'm going to be an Uncle. So totally stoked. Hmmm, does that give me more special powers on the mission? I think it does! Awesome. I'm sure I'll be crying my little eyes out as time goes on. I'm sure he'll be raised PERFECTLY as my dear sister has so thoughtfully prophesied. Man, that is really exciting. Congratulations!!! That is the greatest news I have heard...pretty much ever really.

ughhh, my favorite child status is being greatly challenged... Looks like I have to work harder to find a way to get back on top.

The no fear contacting continues to roll on. They have challenged us in the mission to get 140 contacts a day with the promise that our teaching pool will then never run out. It's surprisingly a tough challenge. In Frisco most everyone works during the day so there have been times when we have knocked 15 doors without a single answer at any of them. I have been more successful in talking to others as we pass by them and Elder Walker and myself have destroyed most of the fear within us as far as that goes. Now it's simply attacking the lack of confidence that may be experienced in the really awkward and unusual situations which makes it all that much more fun. Glorious awkward contacts are the key to success around here it seems like. My testimony of tracting grew somewhat today when I looked over the mission email and saw that a couple people that Elder Johnson and I tracted out have baptismal dates. Sweet. Now that fire just needs to be transferred to Frisco.

Our zone is progressing a lot faster and it is getting exciting. Hard to keep up most the time too. Last week we had a single lonesome lesson taught, with a member present, to an investigator and this week we got to 9. Hopefully we will see much more improvement next week.

We have been teaching in a unique situation this past week to a girl who is visiting from Norway. Europeans are not my specialty in teaching, I'll be honest. Kind of hard to tell someone who believes that commandments are just restrictions. Interestingly enough since I have struggled with this myself as the invincible, know it all teenager. However conforming to God's ultimate will for us is something that requires us to destroy our own prideful desires and to repent and come unto His. This is something that has been hard for me. Trusting in God, trusting that He knows what He is doing even though I can not see the end result. Growing up I had the tendency to think 'God's will is almost a scary challenge that requires too much time and effort. Something that I can not or will not do.' On the mission something is ever present with God's love for His children that I have ultimately been teaching to those I meet and to myself constantly. If God were to come down and address this concern to me about worry or pride hurting my desire to do His will, I believe the words He would speak to me would be "My will...is to make you happy forever."

Commandments = Happiness advice from God.

We had a interesting situation and lesson last night with one of our recent converts. Her friends had slammed her really bad with Anti. She was very upset and Satan was winning by filling her with thoughts of confusion and questions such as "did I really feel that?" When we got there you could feel it in the room, she even put her friend on speakerphone who spoke in a sincere voice 'proving' that blah blah blah was not true or didn't happen. Wake up people! God can do whatever the heck he wants. A man parted an entire sea, another walked on water, some healed people on the spot. Has the day of miracles ceased? I say unto you nay! (insert: "O ye Child of Hell"; I love Alma...) How hard is it then to believe that some plates were translated by a prophet. Really that should be small news comparatively speaking. We addressed the situation with a prayer and immediately the feeling changed. She started asking Anti questions, some of which were hilarious. But ultimately we put it all aside that she had been facing and focused on the Spirit. We all left happy. Another huge success we had was the young man we had with us (who I have grown close to in friendship) is noticing the vast difference in understanding the Spirit. When I first was transferred to Frisco he had just got his license and wasn't too totally stoked to help out with the missionary work. Now he recognizes the importance of the Gospel and he, himself gave great testimony of how much better it is to be a 'living mormon' you could say.

Well don't have much else to try and report at this time, oh ya... Nicole is pregnant...not sure if you knew that. Wow...

Love Elder Metcalf