Hello!

Hey everyone!

 

Washington is great. I'm really glad that I'm here. I think that I've adjusted well to missionary life. We've been having a great week. We still don't know everyone, but we're doing our best. Our ward is great. We get great meals everyday, and everyone is so friendly.

 

Being a missionary can be difficult, but there are definitly a lot of benefits. I'm learning so much about the Gospel and how to apply it in my life. In Sunday School yesterday, we had a great lesson on the Holy Ghost. We discussed how the Holy Ghost is just as kind and loving as the rest of the Godhead. He wants to be with us all the time, because he loves us just as much as Heavenly Father and Jesus love us. When we're not feeling the Spirit it isn't because the Spirit has left us, it's because we've left the Spirit.

 

I'm recognizing more and more opportunities to share the Gospel. Lately, we've been having trouble finding something to do after 8:00ish because the sun goes down, and people are not too receptive. But we've been walking around everyday, hoping to find somebody. Yesterday, we were about to call it a night and head home, but decided to take one more lap around town. While we were walking, we came across a group of people hanging out in their garage. We stopped to talk to them, and they invited us in, fed us some amazing tacos, and invited us to come back. We're really excited to go back and see them again.

 

Something I've really been enjoying is having multiple hours in the morning dedicated to studying and preparing for the day. I've learned so much, and most of what I've learned, I've learned during either personal or companion study. Studying the scriptures daily is something that I've always struggled with, but having that time set aside really makes a difference. Now I'm regretting that I didn't put all the effort I could into morning study before I left, simply because it would have helped me throughout my day.

 

Anyway, being a missionary is pretty cool. I love hearing from everyone. I love you all!

 

Elder Andrew Plehn