August 13, 2011

Hey family! I'm super tired haha. I'm falling asleep at this computer.

First, I'll answer your questions:

• 1. Zone Conference in our mission is split up into three different days for 7 zones. There were 2 zones together on Tuesday, 3 together on Wednesday, and 2 together on Thursday. We aren't really in a zone haha. We went to all of them. Elder Gregson and I accounted for the mission and had two different trainings on finding and teaching. It went really well. I learned a lot.
• 2. We don't really know anything about Elizabeth's parents. Hopefully they are ok with it haha. I think they will be. Her baptism was soooo great! Tons of support from the ward. After she got baptized, she sang "How Great Thou Art" and it was awesome. She was very happy. I'm glad that you were able to see some pictures.
• 3. It's probably hot here but I'm pretty used to it now haha. Because last summer seemed SO hot.
• 4. The memory card that I sent in the package is in the envelope near the top of the box. You can dig around and find it. I promise it's in there. Unless someone stole it. But I have faith that it's there haha.

So this week was great. We stayed super busy with Zone Conference and all. Here's an awesome experience for you though: On Tuesday we taught this girl in the ward named Janessa at the pavillion. She is leaving to go home this week and she wanted to give a BOM to her roommate before she left. So she asked us if we could help her. We eventually role played the situation of her giving the BOM away and the first few times she wasn't confident about it and was nervous. So finally we asked her to hold the Book of Mormon in her hands, look at if for 30 seconds, and ponder about how she knows it's a true book. At the end of the 30 seconds I asked (pretending to be her friend) "So Janessa what is that book that you're holding?" And she looked up at me and bore THE most powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon! It was the biggest change ever! But it's not over yet...we asked her when she was going to give it to her friend and she explained that her friend was home right then. So Elder Gregson committed her to go do it right then and there! She got up and just started marching to her apartment. IT WAS SOOOO COOL! There is no doubt in my mind that there were angels around her the entire time. No doubt. I know there were. It was the biggest change and she was completely filled with the Spirit of the Lord. About 15 minutes later she came back with a huge smile on her face. She explained how it all went down and said they both cried and it was awesome. We asked her how she felt and she said "I feel like I want more Book of Mormons" hahaha. It sounds great and all as in this email but honestly, words can't express how spiritual of an experience it was. It was so amazing that I had to take a picture so that I would never forget what happened there. I wish I could have the whole thing recorded and watch it again and again. One day in Heaven I will show you what happened.

Yesterday we went to Daytona on exchanges with the Zone Leaders up there. I got to see a ton of members, including Grandpa, at a ice cream party that they were having at the church. It was great to see them all.

Today we taught Alex again. She is soooo ready to be baptized! She is doubting herself a little though, thinking it's too fast. So please please please pray for her this week to receive an answer that she can be baptized on the 20th. She is so cool and has a ton of faith. She is living the Gospel already. Everyone at the Church loves her too.

I'm stoked for you to meet all the people that I worked with on the mission one day. It will be fun. But things are great! Elder Gregson is the man. We are having tons of fun. One thing that I do need from you is to find out if you can renew my driver's license. Or call someone in an office somewhere and find out if I can get a license from Florida without messing up my residency in Utah for school. That would be really great if you could do that for me. Because my license expires right before I go home and I need to renew it. So get back to me as soon as possible on that please :) thanks!

I love you both so much! Have a wonderful week and pray for missionary opportunities!

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Elder Austin Gable Engemann