HAPPY FAMILY DAY!!!!

HAPPY FAMILY DAY!!!!

So yesterday was Family Day here in Canada. So today is our P-Day.

Yes. It  basically is Springtime here in Toronto now. Two Sundays ago we had a HUGE snow storm, then a week later, the weather was SUPER good and it's been that way since.

Good luck with your big group project, Mom. And yes, I remember the brick wall that the car "shifted" into. I don't want to talk about it. ;) GO SEE FANTASTIC BEASTS!!!! Y'all a bunch of muggles.

WIMPS!!!! Sushi is NOT worth it unless it is All-You-Can-Eat. Last Monday, we were going to go with some Elders to Sushi, but not do All-You-Can-Eat, but then we got there and we were like "not worth it, let's go all you can eat." So we did. That sounds AWESOME about the exhibit. I'm excited to come and see it!! Good luck with all the sports and stuff.

This last week was pretty different. A lot of different missionary work. Administrative stuff and what not.

Monday was fun. We played lots of sports, then we met with the Padron Family, and let me tell you, I haven't had a Family Dinner like that since I was with you all. The whole dinner was bickering and fighting (with love). The parents are VERY similar to you two, Mom and Dad, and the they have two boys, ages 17 and 15 and two girls who are 12 and 6 (and older kids who weren't there). The majority of the dinner was the boys fighting a saying mean things to the dad, and the dad saying mean things back to them and making fun of them. And the mom defending her kids. To get any words in, you had to be the loudest voice. It was great. We had a great FHE with them were I played the piano while we sang songs, then the dad gave a huge talk about how his family was going to do lots more Missionary Work, so it went really well.

Tuesday was average. We had dinner with a great member couple from El Savlador. We got our FIRST student at our English Classes!! He's a young man named Nicholas, from Chile.

Wednesday we had Zone Conference. It was a lot of fun. I got to see some missionaries that I hadn't seen for a while there. I played for a Musical Number (typical). All in all, it was decent. Later on Wednesday, we had dinner with a sweet Argentinian family. They invited us over next week for Mate. So I'm pretty excited.

Thursday, we did lots of service. We had dinner with a sweet Peruvian family, who's going to take us to Niagara Falls in a couple of weeks. They're awesome. Later Thursday, I gave a Baptismal Interview to a man from Ghana, named Philip. He's pretty awesome. That night, we exchanged with the Zone Leaders, so I stayed the night with Elder Jeremy Scofield, from Sandy, Utah; and the APs.

Friday, we had exchanges all day. We taught a lot of good lessons, all Indian people. That's basically all that the English Elders teach here in Brampton. Later Friday night, we got a new microwave for our basement, then we got pizza, then we exchanged back.

Saturday was a great day. We got SIX new students at our English Classes. A French Family from Quebec, Canada. Later that day, we went to Mississauga, one of my old areas, to give another Baptismal Interview. The investigator's name is Mina. He's from Egypt and is SO sweet. He's gunna get baptized. After the interview, I got to swing by one of my good friends that I helped baptized. He's leaving for the Dominican Republic (which is where he's from) this Friday and will be there for a couple of months. So, not knowing if I'll ever see him again, I had to swing by and say goodbye. It was so sweet. Luckily, he was home and we got to chill and talk about life for a little bit. He's so awesome. He's an 18 year old Dominican, who speaks very little English. I love him to death. After that, Philip (mentioned above), had his baptism. I came and played the piano for it. And we got all the left over food afterwards. So that was good!!

Sunday, we had a wonderful Sabbath Day. One of our investigators came to church and the meetings were very nice. We later had a wonderful lunch with a sweet Peruvian Family (different from the one mentioned above). We later drove around, met with some investigators, knocked some doors, and met some really nice people. So it was a nice day, all in all.

So, like I said yesterday was Family Day in Canada (which is why my P-Day is today) and it was fun. We had a fun Ward activity where we played soccer and volleyball and ate pizza. A few non-members were there (including this less-accountable man named Victor, at first I though he was drunk, then we realized he's just not all there, like at all). So it was fun. Later, last night, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings for my first time. It was good, but not a place for missionaries. Missionaries, who are not supposed to watch TV, shouldn't go to a restaurant that is famous for having tons of TVs all around you. Especially because I'm a pretty big sports fan and they had some good games playing last night. The food was decent, the service was crummy, I wasn't terribly impressed. It wasn't no Cheesecake Factory. Later, last night we were visiting with a member family from Mexico and the father (who served his mission in Guadalajara, Mexico) was telling us all these stories about his mission. One of his sons just came to Canada (from Veracruz, Mexico; finishing up his studies) and it was so fun last night. Mexican Spanish is so fun, and full of slang. One point last night, I think the family started talking about me (in Mexican Spanish), and I got like none of it. There was so much slang. I felt left out. BUT, they gave us Mexican sweets, and I'm eating one right now. It's Tamarindo with Chili. It's so good.

So that was my week. Life is good though. Lovin' the mission. Lovin' Life.

One thing that I've been thinking about lately, and enjoying, is music; especially the music of the church. I told my companion last Sunday that my favorite thing about church (apart from the Sacrament) is singing the Hymns. There's just an incredible Spirit that comes with them. One of my friends in another mission told a story where she was in a house full of hoarded items and the family was playing videos games and basically going crazy, and not paying attention to the lesson; so she stood up, turned off the TV, and started singing. She said the whole family paid attention to her and quieted down. The Hymns bring the Spirit so strongly. People always say, "Hum Your Favorite Hymn" or "Memorize a Hymn." And let me tell you, it works. What better than to fill you mind and your life with pure, beautiful music about our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that he lives and we have the great opportunity to sing praises to him whenever we want to. I love you all and hope you have a great week. Getting a hair cut today, so I'll send you some Before/After pictures.