Week 10

Hey everyone!

This week was super interesting! We had zone conference in Reno and that was really fun I had the opportunity to shake the acting President of the Quorum of the 12 apostles hand and that was super cool! We drove to Reno on Friday and that was a 5 hour car ride. It was a long car ride not being able to watch movies or listen to music like I'd listen to back home, but it wasn't to bad at all hahaha. We got there Friday night and met the two Elders we'd be staying with for the weekend. Elder Lister and Elder Pearson were the Elders. They are the Sun Valley zone leaders and they were super cool I enjoyed staying with them for 3 days and learning how they proselyte and teach people, it was a good experience.

Saturday night we proselyted in the Sun Valley area and it was so sketchy, being in Ely Nevada you don't deal with many people because well the population is so dang small. But in Sun Valley I had the opportunity to be in the city and see crackheads, gang members, and just straight weird people and that was super fun because you miss out on those experiences in Ely. When we were walking we walked past a car that was on fire, probably so the people can get insurance money or something off of it. Then we got cussed out a few times hahaha it was pretty funny not going to lie. But we talked to everyone we saw not fearing of what they might say or do to us and that was a neat experience. We then met a man who breeds full bread pit bulls and man those dogs were absolute tanks!! He named the biggest one Hank the Tank, that kinda shows how ripped these dogs were. He sells them for about $4,500 a pup! That's crazy!!! Also later that day we met a man who was of a different faith that didn't want to take a Book of Mormon, but we insisted he just take it and read 3 Nephi 11, well he grabbed it and began reading it was 41 verses long and I was like man hahaha he's actually about to read this whole chapter. He finished it and recited everything that went on in the chapter and said he is interested in hearing more so Elder Pearson and Lister will have someone new to teach now, it was super cool!

I attended sacrament meeting at a Tongan ward and that was pretty cool to listen to everything taught in Tongan it was awesome! Then Sunday morning came and Elder Gladwill and I got a phone call from President Godoy. So something went down where a companionship in Quincy was not working out so President called Elder Gladwill to go be a zone leader again and well now he is in Quincy. We drove home Sunday night after zone conference and got back pretty late. We woke up at 6am so Elder Gladwill could pack and leave today. I then now have my new companion Elder Carl.

My spiritual message for this week comes from Matthew chapter 10 verse 20, "For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you" I love this verse because no matter where we are and who we are talking to if we talk and testify of Jesus Christ, knowing he will teach the people through the spirit then we are able to rely on it more and know we are here to use that spirit to bring others closer to Christ.

I love you all and I hope you're all doing good!!! Miss you all!

-Elder Patterson