Meeting President Watkins

Dear Family,

Once again, it has been a very busy week. Fourth of July has made the work a little challenging this last week, since half of the branch decided to go camping. We pushed through and made it our alive. Gilroy is one of the only cities in the area that allows people to buy fireworks. As such, driving the streets on the Fourth of July was a little like driving through a war zone. It was really smoky.

Last Thursday, we met President Watkins for the first time. He has hit the ground running. The mission didn't skip a beat. Obviously, it is an adjustment from President Jackson. It was amazing to see the different in teaching styles. President Watkins teaches very conceptually and likes to draw lots of things on the board. It reminds me a lot of some of my favorite college professors. It left me with a lot of notes to review. I liked it.

Next week, President Watkins will be speaking in the Gavilan Branch and attending our branch council. Elder Smoot and I will be sharing our testimonies along with some recent converts and returning members we have baptized or reactivated. It should be the sacrament of our dreams. We are very glad that we have already established a strong presence in ward council.

This last week, we received a referral from a member in San Jose. It is for a family. We still have a lot to teach them, but it looks very encouraging. We desperately want to baptize a family. It is really what the branch needs.

Attached I have included some of the pictures from Maria's baptism. I hope you enjoy.

Love,

Elder Badger