Tucson--#11

Hey Everyone!

This week has been awesome! Chris and Alexia Otero are getting baptized on Saturday!! They are completely solid investigators. Chris keeps bringing up getting sealed in the temple and also being sealed to immediate family. Chris asked me to baptize him. I am so nervous. This will be my first "real" baptism, one that I was there for their entire progression. Words cannot express my happiness! We have had trouble getting members to fellowship because of stake conference or they could only come to Sacrament meeting. We are planning on a big turnout for their baptism because we have really gotten the word out. Tonight we are having a family home evening activity with the Oteros and Neumillers (bishop's family) at the church. Alexia is the smartest 9 year old I have ever seen. She told us that she wants to serve a mission like us! We taught Ramon the Restoration and he came to church which is awesome! We extended a baptism invitation but he did not seem to like that. He has said that he knows that the church is true but if he gets baptized 'mormon' he is going to get baptized in every other church. We have a little obstacle that we need to overcome with Ramon but with the Lord's help I know that it will happen. We taught Patricia the Plan of Salvation and gave her the D&C video so she could watch Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration. She loves the story of Joseph Smith! We have not extended a baptismal invite to her but we are going to during our next lesson. She is hesitant about being baptized but we are going to relate setting a baptismal date to running a marathon. If you want to run a marathon but do not set a date, you are not going to prepare yourself that well. Whereas, if you signed up to run a marathon next month, by golly you are going to be running your heart out to prepare for the marathon next month. The half-mission conference with Elder Foster was really good! He expounded on Elder Holland's remarks during stake conference last week. Elder Holland in his usual self, called out all Arizona members about not being good missionaries. He said that tracting is a dated tactic and that member missionary work is going to lead to the most success from here on out. Elder Foster taught us how to better utilize the members and get them fired up for missionary work. The church is doing a website page all about Christmas. it is http://www.mormon.org/Christmas It officially opens up on Nov. 26th I think but members can still get on that webpage to paroose around. Chris and Alexia Otero, Patricia Vespoli, Ramon Gonzales, Kapua Subica, Ahryanna Samson have all been referrals whether member referrals or self-referrals. Elder Foster enlightened us on how missions are selected. A member of the 70, an Apostle and someone from the missionary department go into a room. There are two screens. On one screen appears your face, name, etc and your application with bishop and stake presidents recommendations. The apostle ponders over your picture and if Pres. Eyring is doing it he actually talks aloud to you :) They pretty much say, "Elder Urry, you are a fine young man and the Lord wants you to serve in Arizona. Wow that is close to San Diego but it does not matter that is where the Lord wants you." Then on the second screen pops up all the missions in Arizona or wherever it may be. They say, "You are wanted in the Arizona Tucson mission" They click the mission on the screen and walla your mission has been assigned. I am looking forward to this week. We have found out some PM families in the ward whose husbands have come to church every week for the last year or so but have not been baptized. We will get them baptized, if it's God's will, which I am sure that it is. Kind of reminds me of Brother Thompson who came to church for forever before he got baptized. And we got a unbaptized childrens list (9 or older) and are going to follow up on those as well. I am going to take my own spin on a famous Gen Conf quote from October. I am a Missionary. I know it. I live it. I LOVE it! I would not change anything in the world from right now.

Love you all!

Elder Urry

LiveStrong

Alma 26:22