This was quite a long week but there were some solid parts to it. We worked hard all week and in the beginning it seemed like a lot of our plans fell through, but luckily we had some cool blessings from being in the right place at the right time. 

So for the highlights of the week--Definitely starts with being able to skype home yesterday. It was really weird but super great.  Now i have two of the four skype calls from my mission complete so that's cool. It was super awesome to talk to everyone though.  It uplifts all of us and we can focus hard core on the work!

So other than that, which was an obvious highlight, we also had some pretty awesome experiences teaching and finding.  On Wednesday we had our completely solid day completely fall apart so we just decided to go out and contact/OYM/tract and try to find some solid people. Literally almost every person we talked to became a new investigator or watched the Light the World video and said we could come back.  So that was pretty crazy!  haha  We were super pumped!  We even flagged down a couple cars that were driving by and talked to them about the Book of Mormon.  They gave us all their info and asked us to come by.  haha  It was so wild!  

Thursday we went out and contacted a referral who just wanted a Bible.  But we definitely weren't about to just give her a Bible and leave so when we got there we started teaching the Restoration and by the end of the lesson we put her on date for February 11th. It was a straight crazy lesson and she was in tears.  It was awesome!  Another cool thing about it was that we brought one of the young men with us who isn't sure about going on a mission and he was able to be part  of this really awesome lesson!  I swear, like half my mission is just helping all the young men in my wards to think about going on a mission.  I understand why they aren't into it, with school, sports and girls around because that was my mindset when I was at home too, but it's awesome to see them thinking about going.  

Thursday night we had a lesson with Brandon.  He's a junior in highschool and he's super sick! (that means really awsome)  He let us know in the lesson that he's received an answer to his prayers and is ready to set a date for baptism.  So we set him up for February 4th.  It was so awesome to hear that and awesome to see him progress.  

So we didn't do much for Christmas or Christmas Eve but we did have a zone testimony meeting Saturday night and it was actually really solid.  It was probably the highlight of my mission.  I feel like our zone is becoming more unified and now we just need to start being super diligent in getting out and working and things will be awesome.  

Lastly, one of the happiest moments on my mission, is Elder Clark sent us a text telling us that the Seeley family, who we found and taught last transfer, has been put on date for January 28th.  That was so awesome to hear and it makes me so happy that i was able to be a part of helping them.  

Other than all that, I'm just going hard in everything and things are good!  I love and miss everyone and i greatly appreciate all that was sent to me for Christmas.  Have a great week and I love you all
Stay Solid

Zone Conference

Elder Johnson

Elder Hallam

Elder Hatch

View from apartment window

Zone breakfast & Christmas movie

This week has been a wild week!

Whitewashing into this area has been crazy!  Elder Hatch and I both got here on Monday so neither one of us had any idea how to get around town, who our investigators were or who any members were.  lol  But despite all that, I think this week was the hardest I've worked my entire mission!

Monday we were out as long as we could be trying to contact as many of investigators as possible after P day.  And let me tell you, the mornings and evenings have been seriously cold this week!  It's been straight painful being outside knocking doors, contacting, and getting lost constantly.  And on top of trying to figure ourselves out the entire week, we had to keep track of the whole zone and figure out all of their stuff for their areas and transfers.

Being a Zone Leader is definitely what I expected....It's not my favorite thing.  We have several missionaries in the zone that we have to check on since they aren't super focused and we are supposed to correct people if they aren't being obedient.  I don't really enjoy that at all especially because I feel like I've been the one who has been pretty relaxed with rules, not only throughout the beginning of my mission, but like my entire life.  So it's one of those things that I don't enjoy at all. Luckily, since I've been corrected many times in my life when I was being stupid, I think usually we are pretty good at still being homies with the other missionaries even when making sure we are all following the rules.

Elder Hatch is definitely, by far, the hardest working companion I've had yet. It has been a great week and we literally haven't taken a full lunch the entire week because we are going hard in teaching lessons and finding people.  Our area is doing well already.  We invited a few people to be baptized this week and we have three on date.  We have quite a few progressing and had some super cool lessons.  

I would say the highlights of the week were, number 1-We found a family of 12 and they are all new investigators, so that was crazy.  All the kids except 4 were over 8 and they were super into it. It was awesome!  They're from LA too!  Number 2 is probably this kid from the YSA ward. He is a straight G and referred several people over to us and we should be teaching them this week.  And I can't think of a number three so I guess that's it.  haha

Make sure to have a great week this week.  I love and miss you all
Stay Solid

homemade Christmas sweaters

This week felt like a crazy week.

So it was the last week of this transfer and it really has been an awesome transfer!  In the beginning I felt like I wasn't able to focus really well and I was having a hard time but throughout the transfer I have been able to figure things out I think.  

Elder Clark and I did really well these past 5 weeks I think.  We found four families and this area is teaching more lessons than it has in a while so that's a good feeling. 

I did find out Friday though that I am leaving to go to Grants Pass.  I was not thrilled whatsoever with that.  lol  I'm going to the Murphy Creek Ward/Grants Pass YSA with Elder Hatch.  We are whitewashing in as the new zone leaders. (whitewashing means both Sawyer and Elder Hatch are new to the area)  So it'll be interesting whitewashing in AND being a new ZL.  The cool thing is that Elder Hatch was my ZL when I was at 3 months in Bandon and he is super tight!  He works really hard and I think it will be a good transfer for me.  Hopefully Christmas will be good even though neither of us will know anyone.  haha

I wasn't super excited to hear that transfer info though because Elder Clark and i have gotten this area going really well now and it seems like every time the area I'm in starts improving I get booted out.  It's all good though because Grants Pass is only 30 minutes from Medford and I will be able to come back for the baptisms that are going to happen.  

But anyway, for things that happened this week, there are a couple of cool things.  First, we had ZTM this week so that went well.  It was my last one that I can actually sit back and relax in since now I will have to teach them.  LOL  

Also Henry who was baptized a few weeks ago got the priesthood on Sunday and that was super awesome.  He's going to the temple in a week or two as well!  

Other than that, Elder Clark got his new bike and we've enjoyed riding bikes now.  We enjoyed it so much that we've both crashed and are all tore up!  I got  a nice cut on my knee and got my pants all bloody and Elder Clark got road rash on his hands and arms.  lol  Good times!

And the last part of our week consisted of packing everything up again and saying goodbye to all the awesome people in this area.  Both of which sucked!

Well that's all i got this week.  Miss you all and I love you guys
Stay Solid

This week was pretty dope!  We actually got a lot done and had a good time.  

So we've been focusing on finding people to teach since we  just had a couple of baptisms.  So this week we found 9 new investigators which was pretty awesome and most of them we have already gone back to teach this week and they are super solid!  We found another family--a mom, dad and 4 kids and we're going back for lesson three this week which is super awesome!!  

We have found so many people in the last couple weeks that are super solid! I'm sure that this area is going to have much success in the next few transfers. I'm seriously praying that I will stay here but we'll see..

So this week I also taught district meeting again and it went really well I think.  We focused on using the Book of Mormon to answer people's questions and resolve their concerns.  It was actually really crazy! It felt like we were back in the MTC with most of the class tearing up in the middle of the lesson and  role plays.  It was a good reminder of my MTC days.  

We also had the ward Christmas party which was pretty good.  Nothing too crazy but it gave us a chance to relax for a bit. 

I forgot to put this in my email last week but Elder Clark and I were called to give a lady, that was in the hospital, a blessing early in the week.  We arrived at the hospital and realized that clearly she wasn't going to make it but I gave her the blessing and it was one of the most spiritual moments of my mission.  I didn't know her but I knew that she wouldn't make and it was awful to get the feeling to give a blessing that she wouldn't make it but i knew that's what I was prompted to do.  

Other than that, Elder Clark and I have just been focusing on working hard. I think we've been doing well.  Working all day is the only way I can keep my mind busy to not think about other things so it's all good.  Anyway, have a great week everyone and go hard in everything you do!
Stay Solid

Elder Clark, Elder Luke and Elder Hallam