Cold week But good week!

So this week was a cold one but good one. On Monday we had a normal but busy p-day like I said last week we went to Pizza Ranch to compete in eating and we tied at 28 pieces each so ya I was full and then we had all kinds of stuff to do and I got a haircut because I was tired of my bike helmet messing up my hair and making me look bad. So I buzzed it all off before our bike week started so ya and then that night we had to go to the church to do paperwork and that was good. We had all kinds of stuff to do so it was good to catch up on all of it. Then we biked home form the church which was fun it is down a big hill then back up the other big one that we live on so it was good! 

Tuesday morning we had a tri-zone meeting up in Lakeville so we had to leave at 7:15 and it was good to go back up to Lakeville that is the building we met in in Farmington so it was good. That is an area where I really started to change a lot and grow so it was cool to go back. It was great to see other missionaries again. We gave a training on the fundamentals of missionary work. Mainly on our purpose of being a missionary and inviting people to be baptized and it went well I think I love giving training now it is fun. I enjoy it a lot! I like studying for them and then giving them to everybody! Who would of thought those words would of come out of my mouth! It was a good day we got back and then did some stuff and had dinner and then biked around. We had some appts fall through, but then we went to institute which was good. We got a ride back to the apt so that was really good because then we didn't have to bike up the hill! But ya hmm so highlights for the rest of the week because I feel like going through day to day might get a little dry. We had a Stake meeting on Wednesday night and that went well we had a new sheet to fill out and it laid out all of our key indicators from Sept when we opened the Zone to now and it is awesome to see how much progress we have made as a zone we have gone from the most "dead zone" to one of the currently most progressing it just shows it doesn't matter where you are God prepares people for us to find teach and baptize as long as we put our faith and hard work in! It is amazing I love it! Thursday we went on an exchange with some elders in the zone I left our area and went to a small town called Waseca and it is a small branch probably average attendance of 20 max and like 60 people maybe on the records total. So a small area that struggles a little, but those elders just reopened the area and it was good. We got a lot of service set up for them and the Elder I was with has only been out 1 transfer and has had some issues and we had a really good interview together. I love being able to help people out and help them enjoy their mission more and use it more to the fullest extent and love it for what it is! But it was good. Only notably thing on Friday is we had long planning day and we went out to bike it was only to be for an hour and a half and I forgot to put thermals on and it was cold my legs were freezing never again. It was probably like 10ish degrees without windchill so ya never again. but ya. 

Saturday was good a day we had coordination meeting and played soccer! Then we had a productive day we had 3 appts at 6 7 and 8 that all came through and we committed one of our investigators to a date on march 12 his name is Chyanne  and to come to church. the other one Marcus we had a good Law of Chasity lesson and he committed to live it and to come to church. Then at 8 we had an appt with a new less active part member family we met and had a good lesson with them and they said we could come by weekly so that was great! We got 2 new investigators there. It was -8 windchill while biking so that was fun it wasn't too bad I had thermals on this time so ya that was good . Sunday was great we had 2 investigators to church so that was awesome and a less active we are working with came as well! So it was great and the sisters had people to church so it was a great day at church! That night was ok we got one appt in so that was good. The work is going great right now. I love how far this area has come since I got here we had no one when I got here now we have 7-10 investigators to teach and like 6 less active we are working with so it is awesome! 

This week in my studies I was reading in Alma and I was in Alma chapter 43 and the Nephites and Lamanites are fighting and the Nephites push them back and then they chase them and meet them again and it says the Lamanites started to fight like they never had never before with confidence "like dragons" and they were starting to have success and then verse 45 says this 

45 Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties,their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.

Although the Nephites at that moment were being beaten it didn't matter because in the end they were fighting for the righteous cause which means God will be on your side and he will strengthen you in the end.  Captain Moroni reminded them of their cause and they win! While studying this I realized how well it relates to the world today. If Satan is the Lamanites right now he is fighting more powerfully then he ever has before and has had some success, but we as member of the church know our purpose and have a greater cause and soon no matter how hard Satan fights we can overcome him because our cause is greater and God will strengthen and up lift us in our battles as long as we are continually remembering our cause and applying it in our lives! I love this gospel and know it is true. The Book of Mormon is scripture and it will strengthen us in the crazy world that we live in today. 

Well that is all this week till next week remember to open your mouth and share the gospel! 

love 
Elder Howe