Oh yeah, it is transfer week this week...

Hola Mi Familia,

I got your letters right on time! Right when I needed them. And that is totally fine about the emails last week. They changed our P-day on us and then we had to go email early anyway, so it is just the way things worked out haha. It was all just kind of crazy. But I really appreciated your letters and it was fun to hear about Haley, Jordan, Olive and the little babe's stay. It was nice to be out here when Haley told me the news, cause I could tell people and it wouldn't even matter haha. I was too excited to keep it in. But I am really glad that everyone had a good time and it sounds like yall had a good 4th and various other family get togethers. ;)

Oh yeah, it is transfer week this week. Surprisingly Elder Crane is getting transferred after only having been here 5 weeks. I am pretty sad about that. We became really good friends in a short amount of time and I respect him so much. He has worked hard to be out on his mission and he has made a big difference in many peoples and missionaries lives. His influences will be felt and remembered forever. It was really fun to be his companion. He has a good sense of humor and is self deprecating. We have a good time joking around and making weird comments. He is really good at understanding people too and so sometimes we analyze people and talk about what we learn. There have been times where we have just talked for hours. Haha there is a Sister here in Opelousas, Sister Faulk, who has stayed in this one area for her entire mission and so for a little going away party, Elder Crane and I wrote a song together called. "Married to the Branch." That was pretty fun. But he is going to be a district leader and a training and a different area, so that will be cool. I am not sure who my new companion is going to be, but I know that it will all work out. So Never Ending Story, I am still in Opelousas haha. But I like it here, sometimes it is a little tough (most always becasue of my attitude), but the people are so awesome that it is hard not to love it. 

One other cool piece of news, The Opelousas Branch is now the Opelousas Ward! That was pretty cool to be able to witness that. On Sunday somebody was telling us a little bit about the history of the branch and it has been 44 years in the making, so it was a special day. It was cool to just see how happy everybody was. It has taken a lot of prayers and hard work from countless people. One sad, but also cool thing is that Brother Freebairn is no longer our Ward Mission leader...He got called to be the 1 counselor in the Bishopric. Pretty Crazy huh? He is going to do a good job though and is going to bless the Ward so much. 

We had Zone Conference with President Hansen and his wife this last week and that went well. Sister Hansen when she met me was excited to tell me about how she knows Chad and Susan. I guess that when they found out they were coming to Louisiana, Susan told Sister Hansen that I was here and showed her the Blog. I guess that she had been reading it to get a little feel for the mission. So the blog is a success! Haha it made me feel pretty good to hear that from her though. President Hansen definitely has some high goals and vision for the mission. It is different than we are used to, but I think as we get on board that we will start to see some cool miracles. I'm sure they are pretty stressed out, with having to come into a mission with 170+ young people that feel like that they know what they are doing haha. As we are patient with them and as they are patient with us things will work out. One thing that I do know is that he has been called by a Prophet and that he is exactly who Heavenly Father wants to lead this mission. I am really excited to get to know the Hansen's better.

I just wanted to bear my testimony on how much our attitude makes a difference in our lives. We have the choice everyday to be happy or sad.  The exact same things could happen in a day but we can choose if it is a good day or a bad day. I remember hearing a quote where someone asked President Kimball what he does when he goes to a boring sacrament meeting and he said something to the effect of "I don't know because I have never been to one." I may or may not have learned this lesson the hard way haha, but I am so grateful that I am learning it. I love my mission so much and I know there is always more that I can do, but that Heavenly Father is proud of me for being out here and doing my best to love the people and the missionaries. I know that He and Jesus Christ love us a lot and I love them too. 

I better get going, but I love yall so much and you are such a big influence in the decisions that I make everyday. Thank you for your prayers!

Prayers and Thoughts always,

Love,

Elder Divine Slopper