Things are going really good...

Hey,

I will just write a short little note right now to update you while you are still on the computer and then I will send a more in depth one in a bit.

Well this last week has been crazy. So Elder Bennett and I got put together as zone leaders in Opelousas and it was going awesome! We set some really good goals and we were looking forward to working hard and seeing a lot of miracles. On Friday we got a call from the Assistants and it turns out that something happened and they had to do an emergency transfer and Elder Bennett was leaving... we were both pretty disappointed. So yesterday we met the assistants and we both got our new companions. So he went to Denham Springs to be a Zone Leader and then Elder Crane came here with me. It is kind of a shock and it will take a little while to get used to the change, but I am sure that it is all for the best. So just to let you know that everything is going pretty good, kinda crazy and stressful, but it is helping us grow. I'll update you more in a bit. Haha and it sounds like yall are having a good time. Wish I was there too. I am excited to hear more!

Love,

Elder Soper

Elder Bennett

Elder Crane

Erbody,

Things are going really good. President Uchtdorf once said "We never aspire to callings, but we always accept." And it hasn't been easy to be a Zone leader, in fact it really changes the flow of missionary work. But it is good, because it challenges you in different ways. So I am grateful.

It has been really fun to be with Elder Crane. Whenever you first get a new companion there is an awkward stage where you don't really know each other and you aren't sure how to act and we had that for the first couple days. But we just took the time to get to know each other better and it has been really fun. I am sure we are going to become a lot better friends over the course of our companionship too.  He loved his last area a lot and he really had a deep love for the people there. So that was hard to leave them, but he is a strong missionary and he is just excited to love the people here too. I have a lot of respect for Elder Crane and he is a perfect example of improving day by day. He loves to learn new things, so he will set daily goals to work on it and then he is diligent in carrying it out. For example on his mission he has learned how to knit and then he has spent the last couple months practicing his handwriting and calligraphy. (those are just a few of many) He just puts in the time and he gets good at it. He is the jack of all trades. He has been a zone leader for about the past 7 months and so he knows what he is doing. But even more than that he loves the missionaries a lot  and he would do anything to help them.  He only has 3 months left on his mission and so I wouldn't be surprised if we were companions up until he leaves. 

Isn't that cool that Elder Allred is now in Plaquemine? Haha there really is no better place to understand, experience first hand that culture shock. He is going to do good there. It was really good for me and I learned to love it a lot. One eternal round. Weird to think that I was there over a year ago. Time really flies. By the end of this transfer I will have spent about 6 months in Opelousas and I will only have about 5 months left on my mission... Scary to think about haha

I am looking forward to hearing more about Mexico. It sounds like from the little sneak peeks I got from the last email that it was an "explosive" adventure. Don't worry I have had some of those adventures on my mission too haha. But I do hope that it was relaxing and just a lot of fun. That is cool that you were that "angel" to that woman. It is funny that even on vacation Heavenly Father puts us in places to help others. There are tender mercies everywhere. You were definitely inspired by the spirit to talk to her.  So was it just yall and Grandma and Grandpa then?   I am glad you guys had so much fun! I bet it will be nice to get back into the swing of things and just start enjoying a relaxed summer after trek. And if your schedule is still hectic and stressful cut some of the unnecessary things out of it. You guys deserve some good easy-going time. There is a really good talk by President Uctdorf called "Of Things That Matter Most." and he just explains how sometimes we just need to slow down and get back to the basics. Here are three of my favorite quotes: 

"We build deep and loving family relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinner and family home evening and by just having fun together."

" To strengthen our relationship with God, we need some meaningful time alone with Him."

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

I really like how in the end our happiness comes from the simple things that we do everyday to grow closer with God, with our Family and with others.  Oh yeah and that is fine about the letters. I understand how crazy it has been over there and it has been about the same over here, so it all works out. I can feel your guys prayers, love and support all the time. 

So this week has been different with meetings and stuff, but it has been really cool. We got to go to a meeting called MLC (Mission Leadership Council) at the mission home with all of the Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders and President Wall. It was just a cool meeting and the spirit was really strong as we all discussed how we can help the mission be better and the missionaries be happier. It was cool. We also got to do some fun service for an investigator; we pressure washed their house. It turned out to be a lot bigger of a job than we thought haha, but we had fun doing it anyway. You get soaking wet and my shirt was almost completely bleached. 

But I think the coolest thing that happened this week was with R and D. We had gone over planning to teach them a little bit about Jospeh Smith and watching the Restoration with them. But after a little of just talking with them we felt inspired to read 1 Nephi 1 with them, so we did! I don't know how much they learned from the story itself, but I do know that we all learned a lot from the feeling we all felt. R is always a little nervous to read, but he read this time and D said that is the first time that he has ever seen him do that. It is just so cool how much the spirit can boost our confidence and make us feel good even when things seem too hard. I love those guys a lot and they are some of the most humble and patient people that I have ever met. I can't wait to introduce you guys to them. I will keep you posted on how they are doing. 

The church is true and it makes you happy.

I love yall!

Prayers and Thoughts always,

Elder Soper