September 16, 2009

Yeah I've been putting the heat on every morning for the past couple of weeks actually. The corn is dying, leaves are blazing orange and red, and the corn is dying and turning yellow. It's scary. 
Anyway this was a great email from you dad. You wrote a lot, I'm impressed and there's a lot of thought and insight in it. This is a whole new side of you. I like!! Keep reading those scriptures, but here's some other great stuff I've found. DC 78:17-18 and 58:2-4, I've been doing a study on trial and tribulation since I heard about Zach coming home. I love you dad and I appreciate your love and council.

Love your Son,
Elder Adams

Things are moving forward here in Byron. We knock a lot of doors. I think one of these days I'm going to wear my gps so that I can see how far we walk. 3 or 4 hours straight of going door to door I bet that equals out to be a pretty good distance. I'm grateful that we are still able to ride our bikes when we are here in Byron. However the trees are on fire with color, some of them are knarled skeletons, and the corn is dying and turning yellow. This are all not good signs. The weather during the day has been fairly warm though, so I've been enjoying that. We had exchanges with the Zone leaders and one of them said to me after we had just come away from teaching a man on his porch who had started out not having any interest in us at all. After we both bore our testimonies though he started to listen as we taught, and he then excepted a copy of the Book of Mormon. He had a lot of doubt about what Jesus had done fore anyone or if there was a God. I testified, we taught, and he listened, then we prayed. As we walked down the driveway my Zone Leader said to me that one thing he's learned from me is persistance. He said he didn't think that guy was interested or would have listened to us. He also told me in the car that he doesn't know why some of the missionaries out here say the things they do about me. It felt good to hear this, at least I know I have a few friends on my side. My companion also thanked me, after he came back from the exchange, for helping him to be more aggressive in his door approaches. It just feels good when you know that you are doing something right, and winning a few battles.
We've lost one of our investigators though. He's dedicated to the Jehovah's withnesses and won't come to visit our church, not even to try it.
Also, a member in the Branch here has connections and knows the owner of a fitness center here in Byron. She added us to her family pass and is paying the 5 dollars a month to do so!!! How nice is that, it's still warm enough to run outside, but now we have gym passes. This will be really nice when it gets cold outside.
As I've been studying the scriptures quite a few things have struck me, as far as helping me in what I need to be doing as a missionary and how I can be better. I have also found further guidance and help in my study for Zach. I think this study can be just as much for me as for him. I really love those studies where you spend an entire study in just 3 or 4 scriptures and you're cross referencing everywhere and have two sets of scriptures open, and then you come out of study feeling like you've been on a ride. I love it!!!! That's actually what our district meeting was on; Having an Effective Personal and Companionship Study.
The turkey testicle festival has not started I'll let you know when it happens. I want to try and sell that OGIO backpack, I might have another missionary buy it. I still have not gotten a letter from Zach, Debbie, or Aaron, so I think that I am going to at least write Zach again. I just want to know that we are still friends. Time continues to fly by, days and weeks are going by so fast. I feel like it was just wednesday.

I love all of you so much. You are a blessing. Keep me in your prayers as I do you, and I will write again next week.

Love Elder Adams

I make a pretty good Salad. Salad mix, with cucumbers and tomatoes that we have been blessed with from members, and then for dressing I've come up with my own special blend. I use thousand island and spicy brown mustard. You can't say it's bad until you've tried it, and then you'll never go back!!
It's about time, I'm here every morning at 10:30 my time, so I think that's 9:30 your time??? I don't have a lot of time, It sounds like the condo went well.
So I need to call state farm then? I hope you and Spencer had a happy birthday.
Bye