Elder Upchuck

Well, I have to say that I'm pretty excited about things for this area. I've got just over 5 weeks left and I'll be making the most of it! All of our current investigators have been "too busy" to meet with us the past couple of weeks, so we're going to try and get short appointments with them all to explain our purpose and see if they're really serious about going forward with baptism. Until that can happen, we're looking elsewhere and working hard to help the ward as well. I love this area, and I love the people. The weather is cooling down, and the trees are truly a magnificent sight every day.

Thursday was weekly planning day - while we planned I made banana bread, using my aunt's recipe. It turned out awesome! We also went down to the marina for lunch that day. They have this little shack by the water called "Lobster Landing." We got fresh lobster rolls, which were delicious.

We helped an elderly member of our ward move this weekend - she was living in the spare room of her brother's house for a couple of years, and never let her cats out of there. I swear, it was like the cat hair was another layer of carpet to the room. I've never known if I was allergic to cats or not, but by the way I was hacking and coughing (got close to puking a couple times!), maybe I am. Oh well, despite the physical symptoms and the smell, it was good to help someone in need. Now she's in her own space, but the members won't stop calling me "Elder Upchuck"...

After district meeting on Friday, we took our lunches and went up to Castle Craig to eat them. Castle Craig is located at the top of the highest point along the east coast (within 25 miles of the shoreline), from Florida to Maine. 967 feet, or something like that...it was kind of funny to think that THAT'S the highest we'll get. It was cool though, because you could see to Hartford in one direction and to New Haven in the other.

The Lord has been showing me His hand each day, helping me to build my faith and be more grateful for the little miracles that take place each day. Things are going well in the ward as we're working with the members, and I know that He is preparing people to accept the gospel here! We just have to find them. A less-active, single-mom member we've met with a few times came to church yesterday, and the Relief Society sisters "swarmed" her and made sure she was taken care of. It was heartwarming to see her making the friends she needs as she's dealing with some tough things in her life right now. It was awesome to see her in the right place, feeling the love that others have and that God has for her.

I'll close today's letter with an exciting announcement: today I received notification that I've been accepted to BYU for Winter 2014! I'm thrilled about that, because I know that the Lord has answered my prayers. For now, though, I'll have to show Him my thanks by my dedication in this sacred work. Time to get back out there! =]

Love,
Elder DeLong