Saturday, January 10, 2009 - And it came to pass in the 38th(?) week...

Hello!

How are things?
Minus 18 degrees sounds fun, but not as cold as usual... what's up with that?

It's been crazy here as usual.

Elder Northey has been out of town for a couple days this week, travelling with President and the assistants to zone conferences. He's been instructing everyone on bike racks - what they are, how to install them, the need to use them, etc, etc. Meanwhile, I've been here in the office, catching up on work. Elder King, one of the new missionaries (not to be confused with the other Elder King, the half-Japanese, Spanish-speaking, much older (mission-wise) missionary - there are a lot of name-twins in the mission), has been hanging around the office so that I would still have a companion. Looking back, I should have given him something to do, since all he had was to put his bike together and study. The next day, he didn't need to come, since I went with Elders Johnson and Rasmussen out teaching. We taught one of our investigators, who accepted the commitment to be baptized! I am really excited about that. She understands everything we teach, and even though she's busy, she reads the Book of Mormon on her own.

Speaking of which, I recently heard from other missionaries that two people I was helping to teach down in Midland and in San Angelo have both been baptized in the last week of 2008! Two people that wanted to be baptized, but weren't planning to in the near future, very suddenly, choose to - in the same week of each other! And to think that I could've gone a long time without finding out - possibly my whole life. This also goes for any of our efforts - none of them are wasted. We're told that the average convert has about seven contacts with the church (through friends, coworkers, etc.) before joining. Be one of those seven.

Next week, since I won't have as much to do, I should be able to go with Elder Northey to the zone conferences down south. It should be fun.

The Church is true. I know it. You can know it too.

I love you!

-Elder Brandon Wong

Something I wish I knew before my mission: how to ride a bike more