What a Week!!!

Hola familia,

This week has been crazy. We have had zone conference and exchanges. Sometimes I feel that all of the meeting leave little time to actually do missionary work.

We have faced some interesting challenges this week, namely, the heat. With such hot weather, we have to plan our finding activities so that we can stop and get water at a member's home. Sometimes we use our wilted and exhausted appearance to our benefit. It actually gets some people to open doors. Who would have thought, sweaty missionaries get in doors better than crisp air conditioned missionaries.

It's interesting to note, that thus far, I have yet to serve in an area original to the San Jose Mission. A year ago when the San Francisco mission was dissolved, the San Jose mission gained the Menlo Park Stake from San Francisco and the Pleaseanton and Livermore Stakes from the Oakland Mission. You would be surprised at how long it takes stakes and wards to adjust to different missions. For example, when I attended the baptisms of an investigator in my last area. I had to inform the member who drove us that we had to take a longer route that kept us within our mission boundaries.

I really like the branch here. The people are very nice and eager to help. They are eager to have some baptisms. There haven't been very many baptisms in the recent history of the branch. I'm glad that they are just as eager for baptisms as the missionaries.

Unfortunately, I don't have any exciting news. All is well.

Love,

Elder Badger

PS Good luck with school.