Dear Family and Friends,
This week was a little calmer than some .It was kind of nice to have a little down time on the holidays. Mark had meetings in another city on Sunday so he was on the road all day with his counselor. I stayed here which was kind of nice for a change. Monday and Tuesday we were at the office preparing for a leadership council for all the zone and district leaders in the mission. Wednesday was a special day because it was Laura’s birthday. It was so nice to hear that Jenny and the kids went down to Provo and Sara, Robert,Rachel,Jack and a couple other friends joined together for a birthday celebration. It sounds like they had a good time and it makes us so happy to see everyone back home taking care of each other.
We spent our Wednesday in the leadership council. It was a great way to start the new year with all the leaders of the mission together to share and be taught and receive direction for the coming months. We really have some great missionaries here and it is nice to see all the dedicated young men trying to learn how to be better leaders. The last part of the day was spent with the sharing testimonies which I always love. Each missionary brings his own strengths with them to the mission and it is good to watch them grow even more in their testimonies and love of the Savior and his work here in the mission. There was quite a strength in the meeting with all of them together .
We continue to hear wonderful testimonies of the Book of Mormon from the missionaries who are reading and marking the book as they study it. I am also working on reading and studying . This year I’m reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish and it really been a great experience. The understanding is coming very well and the wonderful thing is that as I read I’m improving my Spanish skills also. Most of the missionaries say that by the time they finish the Book of Mormon the first time in Spanish they can pretty much see a major improvement in their understanding of the language. We are grateful the missionaries are working so hard to know the Book of Mormon better. They are having great experiences as they teach their investigators with their increased testimonies.
We had our office staff meeting Thursday morning. We have such great missionaries in the office. They each carry a big load and they each are working so hard to support all the missionaries and take care of the business of the mission and they run out the door at 4:30 pm everyday to go find and teach people. They are a great example to the mission.
Friday and Saturday Mark spent preparing for some training meetings he has with the district leaders out in three different areas the next few Sundays. He’s trying to help the leaders understand the important role they have in missionary work and help them in their leadership duties in their branches and districts. There is always so much to do in the way of training with the 5 districts that are in our mission. I think Mark is doing a great job with all that he has to do.
I think one of my favorite times of the mission is when Mark is reading his weekly letters from all the missionaries. He sits and reads and gets so excited to hear the successes and growth of the missionaries. He also loves to hear the missionaries share their struggles and the way they overcome problems and continue to work hard. They are such an example of the good young people in the world who are taking challenging situations and doing the best they can and growing through the process.
We are grateful for the way we are learning and growing also. We love the missionary work that we are called to do. We are grateful for the good family that we have and for the good friends we have. The Lord has been good to us. We hope you all have a good week! We love you! Mark and Sandy
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