Sorry this email is coming in on Wednesday and not Monday! These past two weeks have been really eventful and interesting and I don't think the excitement is over!
It has been really busy and a little stressful in Sahuarita this past week.
Transfer calls come in sunday night! RIGHT before Christmas which is kind of a bummer, but I'm excited none the less. I have NO idea whether I'm staying or moving back into a Spanish area- both sound great to me:)
Yes I do pretty much live in a house. We live with some really sweet older members, the Todds (sister Todd is a member brother Todd isn't!). Elder Holyoak and I live in a little two room apartment on the side of their house where (I think) their son or nephew used to live.
THANK YOU everyone for the letters and Christmas cards and PRESENTS! It is beginning to feel a lot more like Christmas down here in southern Arizona too believe it or not.
WELL, beginning with the most exciting thing.. WE HAD A BAPTISM ON SATURDAY!!! I completely forgot my camera to send pictures (and I had lots to send too) so I'll have to send them next time. But Sheridan (really cool girl, Mary Ellen's age) was baptized Saturday and confirmed in church on Sunday : ) IT WAS AWESOME. Her whole non-member family was there to support her and they all seemed to have a really great experience. Sheridan is a McGee and lives up on the ranch, so a bunch of the ranchers came down to support too. I can see this big step for Sheridan being a GIANT LEAP in the right direction for the ranch as a whole (there are a lot of really great, but slightly lost or confused people and families up there READY for the gospel), I really think Sheridan could be that needed catalyst.
ALSO up on the ranch... little known fact: I have always wanted to cut down my own Christmas tree. Who knew I would get to do just that on my MISSION in the desert of Arizona?! A really nice family invited us to help them put their Christmas lights up after a lesson, and then drive back into the mountains above the ranch and cut down Christmas trees!! -I have pictures of this to send too-
as you can probably imagine, these pine trees aren't quite as bushy or full as the ones bought/found in more forested parts of the US.. our little bare 5 ft. Charlie Brown tree, now wrapped in a red blanket in our apartment is a sight to behold :) After I cut it down, in a very manly, lumber-jack fashion, wearing my flannel shirt, we strapped our little tree onto the bike rack on the back of our ford fusion for the half-hour drive back down from the ranch.
THEN, to top it all off, (also explaining why I'm emailing on Wednesday) we drove 2.5 hours out to the Gila Valley and went to the Temple yesterday!!! -also, some more pictures I would be sending if I had remembered my camera-
The Gila Valley Temple is brand new and really pretty. It is SUCH a blessing to be on my mission somewhere (here, and in Mexico) where I have the opportunity to attend the temple. Temple work IS missionary work.
Family, I love you all so much. There are things I miss about Christmas at home, but honestly, there isn't anywhere I would rather be, or anything I would rather be doing, than the work of the Lord, here in Sahuarita AZ.
I'm running out of time because we came to try out the computers at the public library today instead of using the Family History center at the church like we normally do, so I have a time limit again! but I just wanted to let you all know how much I love and appreciate each and every one of you. You are all in my daily thoughts and prayers,
love,
Elder Spencer
