Week 7

Family!! Ohh man.. I dont even know where to begin!

Lets just say this week was the best on the mission.. and one of the best in my life! hahah!!

So this week.. The community rec center here called us and asked us to coach a little kids soccer team!! Haha we called president and he ok'd it! It was so much fun! I have a team of 6th-8th graders! Boys and Girls! Elder Ferrin doesnt know to much about soccer... So he's the conditioning coach. I love working with the kids tho! we have practice on tuesday and thursday for a hour! and then games on saturdays! our first game is on saturday! haha at 9 in the morning! then we go to General conference! wow.. what a day! so much fun!

Then on Thursday morning me and Elder Ferrin taught the seminary class! It was so much fun! The youth here are such good kids! We taught D&C 130 which has some pretty deep doctrine but also some very good doctrine! ... hahaha.. but it was a fun challenge to take on! We think we did a pretty good job! :)

Anyways... On thursday.. We were out knocking doors in the afternoon... And we got a call from Delorus! The 74 year old lady who we are teaching! Her dog Candy had died and she was having the hardest time. We went over there and dug a grave for her dog and had a small little funeral service! We prayed with her and she felt comforted. We then went into her house and watched a short movie about Jesus's earthly ministry! It helped her to kno that she could be comforted through Christ and that she will be ok! I felt so bad for her tho.. She is such a sweet lady and she loved that dog very much.

Then later that night we got a call from Delorus and she invited us to a brass band concert that was being held at the high school in muscatine!! We were thrilled to go with her! It was Me elder ferrin, Delorus, Mary, and Hadessah! The Brass Band was awesome! They were actually from the Air Force Brass Band and they travel the world and play music for people!

so just to clear things up.. since i cant remember what i've told you or not told you.. Mary... Is Delorus's daughter. Mary is the mother of Hadessah(12), Preston(9), Karsyn(6) Bella (3) and Whitney (1). She also has 2 other older kids that we dont really kno! cuz they live with their dads! I feel so bad for mary! She's had such a hard life.. I feel so bad for her! She's 34 with 7 kids! and no husband! Sometimes the kids walk all over her! Bella and Karsyn are my best budds tho! So much fun to hang out with there family!

Anyways.. The climax of this week was SUNDAY!! :)

Mary, Delorus, Hadessah, and Family came to church! Along with Delorus's other grandson Luke! Who we are going to start teaching! This family means so much to me and elder ferrin! They are amazing! We just want them to be happy so badly! haha! So it was fast sunday.. and people were giving there testimonies and i was sitting next to Delorus and i said hey Delorus.. You kno you can go up there and talk right? and She said no.. im to scared! haha then i said ok if i go up will you think about it?? and she said yes.. So i went up and bore my testimony about how much happiness this gospel brings each one of us! and i sat back down and Delorus was in tears.. She said ok.. Now i have to go up cuz the Holy Spirit is gonna drag me up there if i dont.. As i watched this 74 year old tiny little lady, thats not a member, walk up the isle to bear her testimony, i was a little shocked!! I was like wow.. she's really going to go! Whats she going to say?? haha.. She was the last testimony of the meeting and if i had never known delorus before i would have thought she was a member her whole life!! She gave the most sweet and sincere testimony i've ever heard! She talked about how she's run into our church a lot of times over the years! She was actually married in the City of Carthage and learned all about Joseph Smith back when she was younger. She was so thankful for us as missionaries. She said "i can see the spirit of God coming from every pore in their bodies! They bring so much happiness into my home!" Delorus has taught me so much and i have been so blessed to learn from her and her wonderful family! Me and Elder Ferrin just have to figure out whats holding her back from being baptized! Please Pray for Delorus and Mary and her family that they will understand the importance of baptism and what it can do for them!

After the best sacrament meeting of my life i took Bella and Karsyn to Primary! They were both scared to go and almost started to cry.. But i got down on my knees and promised them that they would have fun and it would all be ok. They trusted me! They went to there classes and when i went back to pick them up at the end of church they both ran and jumped all over me and said we love church!! :) can we come back next week?? haha those little girls are awesome! It reminds me of hanging out with Berklee and Sayler and Zander.. So much fun.

Anyways! I have had such an awesome week. I will never forget it! I love being a missionary! its truly the best thing! I Love and miss you all! You all mean so much to me! Thank you for everything you do!!

Love ELder RUssell!