Chilly Willy

Hey Mom and family,
About carpet vs hardwood, I'm more a fan of carpet. I think it's easier to teach in a carpeted home because the noise doesn't echo as loud, or something that has to do with the sound effects of hardwood.
Well this was quite a week. We had transfer meeting on Tuesday and there was only one Spanish elder in the mission who got assigned to serve as zone leader, so it was pretty easy to figure that one out. He's from Canada, but his parents are both from El Salvador,so he grew up speaking Spanish and English. He's only got 2 more transfers in the mission before it ends, and I really hope to stay with him the whole time. I never really knew him except from what I had seen at meetings and such and he always seemed like a big goof-off. But he's actually one of the best missionaries I've met. He's incredibly effective at pretty much everything he does. He teaches with power and he's smart too. I know I can learn a lot from him. I have realized that I'm not as smart as a led all you to believe before the mission :) But it's like he just jumped into this area with a lot of enthusiasm and the know-how to get things done. The work is going well and we're finding more people to teach. Last week I told you about a family, specifically a mother, who we visited when she was going through a really hard time in her life. Well over the weekend she talked with her best friend, a member in California, and when we saw her again on Monday she told us that she wants to be baptized, and her 13-yr-old son wants to as well. It was a miracle to see it all unfold; I feel like I was just in the right place at the right time. She still has things that she's struggling with, like smoking and coming to church, but God led us to find those who he had prepared. Two other new investigators this week came from two different members who have befriended people and invited the missionaries over to meet them. It's really amazing to see how God puts different people in our path, and He makes the best of the path we're in.
Well, the car thermometer said 37 degrees this morning, and I'm freezing! Once my hands get cold it takes a lot to heat them back up, and at nights it's pretty chilly. A couple times this week I saw ice in people's yards. I thought this was Arizona?? I definitely prefer heat to the cold. It's fun though, and we're doing what we can to keep God's work moving forward. I hope you all have a great week and that Ben gets home safely :) Adios!

Elder Joshua Gathro