WELL...it snowed. Finally, just so you're all wondering. And it came down hard. We probably got a foot in total. LOVE IT!!!

WELL...it snowed.

Finally, just so you're all wondering. And it came down hard. We probably got a foot in total. LOVE IT!!! ALSO, transfer calls were last night and........I'M STAYING IN LEAMINGTON!!! WOOHOO!!!! I'm super happy. BUT! President did call last night, and told me that I'm going to be District Leader again. BBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I'll live though. It's fun to be District Leader around Christmas time, I just have to make a lot of Christmas Treats. I'm trying to get President to make my companion District Leader. He'd do a lot better than me. So we'll see how that goes. :)

I'm glad you're all pumped for Christmas. 11 Doo Rags!?!?! (I think that's what they're called) That's awesome, Mom. I'm sure he'll love them. And trying hard in school is good, just remember, "it is not requisite that a man (or a mom) should run faster than he (or she) has strength" -Mosiah 4:27 ;) Good work on the paper.  Good luck with keeping everyone "under ball and chain." ;) So yes, I got the package from you and someone else. Don't know who. Neither were damaged. Funny story though, Abigail saw the unknown package (while in Brampton) and slapped a note on it saying "Merry Christmas Cousin." I was super confused at first and thought it was from her. But someone told me it was a joke. Ha ha. :) We don't have a family to Skype from, yet. So I'll let you all know when we do.

This week has been truly magical though.

On Monday, we went to a town called Windsor, which is RIGHT across from Detroit, Michigan; and I saw the USofA for the first time in one and a half years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cried. It was quite beautiful.

Wednesday, we taught two super solid investigators. Irma, the Venezuelan. She SO solid. She wants to get baptized and confirmed, we just need to get her to quit smoking. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and she understood it perfectly. It's quite incredible how much of the Plan of Salvation is in the Bible. Mormonism proved. The other lesson was with a 15 year-old girl named Mackenzie, who is also very prepared. Later that day, we ate Pupusas (just to let you know ;). While at the Pupuseria, we ran into two members there (one working and one eating). Funny stuff.

Friday, I drove. A lot. We went to and from a town called Tilbury which is about 30 minutes out. Then we taught some lessons, went to a Mexican Restaurant (average), then I drive to Chatam to pick up two Elders, which is an hour away, then to London, which is another hour away. So yeah. We stayed the night in London because we had a missionary meeting the next morning.

Saturday, the missionary meeting went well. Lots of Christmas spirit. Afterwards, we went to the closest Smoke's to us (in London). 'Twas delicious. I then drove 2 hours back to Leamington. Then I drove 45 minutes to Windsor (got to see the USA at night) which was SWEET!!! and drove back that night to Leamington. SO, basically I've driven more last week than I have in my whole life. We're probably going to drive to London again today. Tack on 4 more hours. Because why not?? I have gone from not liking to driving to being content with it. Maybe even happy with it. We'll see. :)

Sunday was great. That was when it poured buckets of snow on us. After a wonderful church, we went and found another new investigator, then we went and taught Irma!! We taught her the third lesson, The Gospel of Jesus Christ. She's SO good!! Afterwards, she asked if we wanted juice, then she asked if we wanted food. I hadn't had dinner, so I was like YES! She ended up making us rice and beans and platanos and it was SO good!!! She is a Celestial Investigator. And so is her food.SO... last Thursday, we were out knocking some doors that a member told us were some people that just moved in, and we ran into Kendall. She is actually the great niece of an active member and she is a single mother with a new born. She told us that she has been trying to get back into religion and she had gone to church before (with her great-aunt). She is so solid and we're excited to meet with her next week. We've been finding so many people here in Leamington. I have NEVER found this many solid people just opening my mouth in my whole mission. It's AWESOME!! It has just grown my testimony so much that the Lord puts prepared people in your path to teach. We're hoping to see a few baptisms from this this transfer. I hope you all have a stellar week. Enjoy the snow!! I am.

It's a Christmas Miracle!!!

It's a Christmas Miracle!!!
Things are going absolutely wonderful here. It hasn't snowed at all. It's kind of getting cold. It rained last night. This is my life now. I can't tell you when I can email because I don't know if I'll be here in Leamington until next Sunday, so I'll give you some more information then. It's good to know when you can though. 10:30 AM?? Are they only doing sacrament on Christmas?? The train sounds like a lot of fun. And Temple Square. Jealous. CCCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHEEEEEEEESSSSSCCCCCCCAAAAAAKKKKKKEEEEEEE FFFFFFFFAAAAAAAAACCCTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOORRRRRRRYYYYYYYY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?! I'm so jealous. That's probably one of the things I miss most about back home. I LOVE the Cheesecake Factory. The food, the service, the atmosphere, and of COURSE, the Cheesecake. We don't have any of those in Ontario (or even in Canada, I think). Sadness. Cheesecake Factory and Temple Square definitely trump Ward Party. ;)
I'll know if I got the packages this Saturday (that's when a big missionary meeting is). If not then, December 23rd is our Christmas Missionary Meeting where we'll get more mail. And yeah, Aunt Terri told me she was sending me a package. Yay! So this week basically went from bad to good to better to best. So buckle up Buttercup...
Bad: We drove two hours to go play sports with missionaries in London, Ontario last Monday. And no one really came to play sports. BOO!!!! Never trust a missionary. Just kidding, don't listen to me, trust missionaries, get baptized. But yeah, at least we were able to meet some of the other missionaries in our Zone. Then we drove two hours back to our area had a sweet dinner and a great FHE with the Velazquez family. That was good.
Better: Tuesday we met with one of our regular investigators. She had said earlier that she didn't remember getting taught about Joseph Smith. So we started from the beginning and taught her the Restoration. It was probably the second BEST Restoration lessons I've ever taught (second only to the legend, Jose Manuel). The Spirit was so strong and we committed her to baptism when she knows it's true. I started crying in the middle of the lesson. I'm such a baby. A sugar baby. ;)
Thursday, since it was the church's "Worldwide Day of Service," we put on our normal clothes, grabbed some rakes, and went to work. We met a little Venezuelan Lady last Tuesday our in her yard and asked her if she needed any help. She said she didn't want us to get our white shirts dirty, so we came back Thursday and raked her lawn. And he neighbors lawn. And their neighbors lawn. We got an appointment set up with her, a thanks from her neighbor, and about 15 cucumbers from the other neighbors. We then raked a members yard and her neighbors (of whom the husband has Cancer) and we were able rake probably about a million leaves from their yard. They were SO grateful and we going to go back there and baptize them.
Friday, I went on exchanges with one of our leaders to a little town called Chatam. I learned something really interesting about Charity. You really can have Charity and Love for people you have never met. True story.
BEST!!: We have been trying really hard to get new people to teach. On exchanges, my companion found two new investigators in our area. Then on Saturday, we were sitting down to do some planning, and we get a phone call from a less-active Mexican member. He was at his Brother's house and needed help with a broken thermostat (because all the instructions were in English). We came over, didn't fix the thermostat (because we weren't able to), but more importantly we ended up sitting down with his brother, teaching him the Restoration (well, I taught it all, because he doesn't speak English, unimportant), and he got super excited to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. Then we set up another appointment for this Wednesday. Solid!!
THEN! On Sunday, we went over to the little Venezuelan lady's house (Irma is her name) and we got in to teach her. She is SUPER prepared. Basically already a member. At first she said she's Catholic, then later on (talking about Joseph Smith) she opened up and said she's really confused about religion, too, and wants to know what the true church is. When we brought up the Book of Mormon she got super excited and started going off about when she reads the Book of Mormon and when the Holy Ghost tells her it's true, she'll know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that this is the true church and that she'll no longer be confused and she'll be in the right path. And we were like...uh...yeah. That's exactly correct. Then we asked her to pray and she said she'll do it, but we might not like the way she prayed. She gave one of the BEST, MOST PERFECT prayers I have EVER heard. Better than what most active members give. She prayed to God in the name of Jesus Christ and in the prayer she asked if the book she "is holding in her hands" is true. I was in tears. Again. That Restoration lesson bumped the one I taught on Tuesday to number 3 "Best Restoration Lesson." Twas a Christmas miracle.
I love you all and hope you watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. If you didn't, REPENT! Chao!!

LIGHT THE WORLD!!!!!!!

LIGHT THE WORLD!!!!!!!
Before I get into that...my Thanksgiving was pretty great!! A stellar couple in Branch named the Fiss's made us American Thanksgiving Dinner. They're both incredible cooks and they made us some of the best Glazed Ham I've ever had, and a lot of other great things. Yeah, no turkey, but hey, nobody's perfect. The husband used to be a Mennonite, which is the prominent religion here in Leamington, but now he's a rock-solid Mormon with a huge build and a huge white beard and he speaks German. AND he just got called to be our Branch Mission Leader, so we're pumped. After Thanksgiving Dinner, we helped a member move Food Storage from a Members house to his parents house, because he's moving. I LOVE doing Service. Especially as a missionary. So twas a good Thanksgiving. I'm glad you all ate enough turkey to cover for me. Sounds like you had a lot of fun.
SOPHIE!! Shreddin' up the ice GIRL!!! That's killer diller!!! You keep perfecting your Axel and I'll keep perfecting my "Blue Steel." And good luck on your ice skating test. Not like you need it. ;)
WHO IS OLIVIA CHRISTENSEN!?!?! LOGAN!! Send me pictures of Sadie Hawkins!! But not the ones of you kissing her (come on, I'm a missionary). Just Kidding...send me those ones too. ;) Sounds like it was a sweet date though. That'd be an awesome Eagle Scout Project too. And you best believe I've still got all the capitals memorized. Someone from every country in the world is here in Toronto, so I get lots of practice. It's funny, when people tell me where they're from, I say "Oh? Are you from (then I say the capital of that country). Then after saying "yes" or "no," they say "Have you been there before??" Then I say "No, I'm just super smart." ;) Or something like that, just more humble. I'm so pumped that you're going to Temple Square again to sing. Wish I could be there Bro.
This week started our great with a wonderful Family Home Evening with the Velasquez Family. I brought my collection of temple pictures, which has now grown to about 200+ pictures. And we played a temple naming/matching game. It was super fun. Gotta love those houses of the Lord.
Tuesday we had a lot of great and weird lessons where we talked about Phillipians 4, why Blacks didn't have the Priesthood for a while, we ate A&W, and we tried to commit a lady who likes to smoke to live the Word of Wisdom, with little success. Of course, these were all different lessons. ;)
Wednesday, I went on exchanges with Elder Matthewson, who is a great new missionary from Calgary, Alberta. He's a good guy and we taught a lot of good lessons.
Thursday, Thanksgiving. See Above.
Thursday night, we had some Elders stay the night, for we were car pooling to District Meeting the next day. And guess who got to be the Chauffeur?? Me of course. So much driving here in Leamington. And after driving in Toronto, my driving has improved a lot. And gotten a lot more aggressive. :) Luckily, here in Leamington, you have to be really bad at driving to get in a crash. And the only things you can crash into are the Green Houses. So yeah. District Meeting was good and we had Pizza Hut afterwards. Yum.
Saturday was a stellar day. The same man we helped move food storage on Thursday, we helped move the rest of the things in his house into storage or to his parents. We worked from about 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. Twas nuts. Afterwards, we helped a stellar less-active member named Doug with his Family History (after he graciously took us out to Arbys). He's such a solid guy (other than the fact he misses sacrament meeting to play the piano for the Salvation Army's church services). He plays the piano like a champ, the guitar very well, he loves singing, and he super spiritual and pure in heart. So while working on Family History, we helped him find family ties that go back... (now don't get jealous, Mom)... 32 generations. Into the 1000s. It was INSANE!!! The church is true. We also found his last name, going back 13 generations. We were all super amazed. Later that night, there was a Santa Claus Parade in Leamington. So we went and passed out TONS of "Light the World" cards. It was SO fun. On Sunday, we also passed a lot of cards out to members and houses we knocked on.
For those of you who don't know what "Light The World" is. GET A LIFE!!! Just kidding. But seriously...let me tell you. Light the World, or Ilumina el Mundo (spanish), or Seja a Luz do Mondo (portuguese) or Si I Una Luce (italian) (did that all from memory ;)...is the church's new Christmas Initiative. Go to momon.org and WATCH THE VIDEO!!!! It's beyond words to describe. Just watch it. On December 1st, the church is doing a Worldwide Day of Service, so lace up your boots, pick up your shovels or rakes, and get serving!! There's also a calendar on mormon.org for the first 25 days of December, giving you ideas for doing service everyday and becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. That's what this is all about. Becoming like Jesus Christ. He really was the greatest example and leader in the world. And in addition to that, He is our Savior!! He atoned for our sins, pains, and sufferings. I know he did. I've felt his love and the power of the Atonement in my life. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week. LIGHT THE WORLD!!!!

IT'S BEGINNING TO FEEL A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!!!! EXCEPT WHEN YOU'RE IN A SAUNA!!!!
HA HA!!! I'll get to that part later. The week has been great for me. That's super sweet, Micah, that you're getting recognized. That's a huge honor. And one thing I learned in High School, Mom, is that sometimes your grades don't represent very well all the hard work you put in. I feel like in High School I put in a lot of hard work, I tried my hardest, but I didn't get straight As, or As for that matter. But I was content because I worked my hardest and I felt like I really tried my best. And I think that's the most important thing. To put in our best.
This Thursday. A member family invited us over for American Thanksgiving (well, two member families did, but one let the other family feed us). I'm so excited. The husband is an ex-Mennonite (there are TONS of Mennonites here in Leamington) (they're like Amish people) and he's HUGE and has a HUGE beard. They are SUPER excited to have us over and we are PUMPED to go over there at eat with them.
Okay, well $475 US dollars is like $1000 Canadian. ;) and with $300 more it's like $2000!! No, I'm kidding. I'll definitely not use my card much anymore. If at all. I have lots of souvenirs already and have done all the fun things in Toronto. When did you stop talking out money?? I would like to keep putting in $100 each month. If that means I'll only have the $300 when I get home, I'm fine with that. I'll get a job fast. Also, by the way. I have 200 American Dollars on me for emergency. But don't ask me how much I want! That's a dangerous question and it should be a surprise. SURPRISE!! You get $10!!! YAY!! Haha. Hopefully more than that though. :)
So this week has been a blast. Elder Olson and I are getting along just like Nephi and Laman, or better yet Cain and Abel. Haha! No, we get along great. And we're getting a lot of work done. Some highlights of the week: Last Tuesday, I took Elder Olson to get Pupusas for his first time and let me tell you, they make some of the best Pupusas here in Leamington. SUPER GOOD! Later than day we taught an investigator who believes the Book of Mormon to be true (because why not?) but can't come out to church because she takes care of her sick, member, mother. So we're just trying to have her get a solid testimony of the BOM and quit her bad habits. She's solid though.
We've been helping TONS of members set up Family History accounts, from Burmese members who speak little English to Irish members with whom we made a sweet discovery on his Grandma's side of the family.
The members are GREAT here. We've had many meal appointments this last week and the members are SUPER nice.
I've been trying to work with a lot of Spanish people so I don't lose my Spanish. We have a Mexican investigator who loves meeting with us. So we'll be going over there a lot. His names Felipe and he's sweet, he just doesn't have a strong desire to read the Book of Mormon...not yet.
Our most recent member that was baptized, we work with a lot. Her name is Maxine and she's SO NICE! She call herself the missionaries mother, so I now have a mother here in Leamington also. She tells us to just come into her house whenever we want to and she's super solid. She hasn't been able to come to church recently because she's been taking care of here Aunt with Dementia. But she came yesterday!!! Woot woot!!
Last Saturday, there was a Christmas parade in a little city called Kingsville. So we went and in the middle of the parade, it started SNOWING!!!!! A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!!! While there we passed out TONS of Christmas cards. The church has a new Christmas initiative coming up called #LightTheWorld and it's SO SWEET!! But I won't fan girl about it just yet, because we still have Thanksgiving this week.
The weather is weird here. Last Friday, it was like 20 degrees Celsius (which is really hot). Then on Saturday, it dropped to like 3 degrees Celsius and it snowed. It was nuts. But no matter...because we have a sauna. OH HO HO HO! YES WE DO!!
So, we found out that our apartment complex has a sauna which NO ONE actually uses. So these last couple nights, we used it. And it's super nice. So, this is Elder Flint, emailing you from the beach town Leamington, while chilling in a sauna, drinking a Pina Colada. Haha, I wish. Oh, I got a hair cut too. My curls are temporarily gone.
One thing I've been studying a lot about this week is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Yesterday, at church, I was able to teach a Spanish class to the ONE Spanish member that stayed after sacrament meeting. He a solid member. So we talked about the signs of the Second Coming. It's honestly kind of a scary thing, because in Thessalonians 1:5 it says that "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." So we don't know when Jesus will come. Jesus doesn't even know that. Only God knows. BUT, we can see that many of the signs of his Second Coming our happening, especially the scary. I will make no political statement except the fact that I don't like the fact that there are tons of riots and civil unrest in the US. When Christ first came to the Americas, he basically destroyed all the wicked people before coming down. So we must be ready. The coming of Christ will be a beautiful and glorious thing. We need not be afraid if we are worthy. So prepare yourselves now because we don't know how soon it will happen. Repent. Be the elect. Don't get destroyed. Because that would stink. ;) I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Elder Flint
Canada Toronto Mission

Well.
I'm sorry to inform you that I have taken a vacation from my mission. I'm in a nice beach town called Leamington. The weather is warm, the apartment is very nice, there are tons of Mexicans (and Pupusas right by our place), and we have a car. HAHA!!!!
So I'm still a missionary and we are still working super hard, but I'll be honest, I feel like President sent me out here to give me a vacation. Training and having a sick companion and being a District Leader for 6 weeks and busing around (except when I'm chauffeuring the Zone Leaders) in the cold and busy town of Toronto really does wear you out. So President generously sent me to Leamington. And I LOVE it out here. It's both and English and Spanish area. There are tons of Mexican immigrants who come up here to work on the farms. It's funny to see them walking around all bundled up because they think it's freezing here. Whereas I'm wearing short sleeves and not feeling a thing. My new companion is awesome too. He lived most of his life in Price, but his family recently moved to St. George. He's a firecracker and we're pretty crazy all the time. He's a hard worker though and we're getting a lot of good things done. 
I'm happy you're going to start working part time, Mom. That's great. Would you be able to tell me how much I have on my card. When I try to check my account online, I can't because it wants an authorization code that I need to get from my home email or through the phone at home. Which stinks. I'll definitely be more careful on my money though. I had to dip into my card with my last companion because he didn’t have any money (because he bought a bunch of medication and I’m pretty sure he never got it refunded by the mission) and I should have asked the mission for more money instead of using my own, but I was too dumb and stressed by everything going on. Law of Consecration I guess. Sacrifice brings blessings. Or homelessness. ;) I can't really think of too much else for Christmas. Ties, cuff links, missionary stuff.
So last Monday, we said goodbye to one of my other favorite families. The Lugos (and Kimmy too). And we were all very sad. I truly miss all my family back in Toronto. I hope to be back soon!! Toronto Trunky!!
Tuesday was a lot of driving. We all woke up super early to drive to Brampton, where I said goodbye to the dying missionaries, got my new comp, and then we drove about 4 hours to get to Leamington. We stopped in London on the way there to eat Smokes (of course, don't tell Dad) for Elder Olsen's first time. But the drive was very long. Since we've been here in Leamington, we've done a TON. We've stopped by many less-active members (many who had no desire to come to church and one who talked for a long time about how everyone manipulates everyone else and there's no way to avoid it, it's just life). One less active member, Brother Bailey, is a huge hot-wheels car collector. I'll have to get a picture because he has walls covered in Hot Wheels Cars. He's a super funny guy, used to be a bouncer (where he once fought a Leprechaun), and has a strong testimony of the Gospel. He just doesn't feel welcome at church because he's very different and supposedly there's a lot of judgemental people in our Branch.
The Branch supposedly has about 40 people come out every Sunday and everyone says they're like a super close-knit family, but on the other hand, every says that basically all the members have been offended by other members and the Branch doesn't like activities at all and that no one likes to be social. So we'll have a lot of fun with that. One of the leading families in the Branch is the Saunderson family. They are an older couple (not super old, like late 50s) and he's from England and used to be a Bishop, Branch President, and Ward Mission Leader. We had dinner with them last week and they're stellar and help us out with the missionary work a lot.
Last Sunday we had Stake Conference and afterwards we had a Potluck where I was able to meet some more members of the Branch. They all seem super nice and I'm excited to see the work here progress.
Our Stake President here is powerful. His talk during Stake Conference was intense and he made a lot of very powerful statements. One thing he said that I really liked, and I'm paraphrasing here is that "If you are not willing to clean the feet of your enemy, you are not worthy to enter into the Kingdom of God." We've had a lot of run-ins, here in Leamington, with people that want to debate with us. It always very frustrating but in the end, we just have to love the people and hope the best for them. They are just confused sons and daughters of Heavenly Father and they need some more light in their lives. I feel like I'm going to have to teach a lot of Forgive and Forget in this Branch because people aren't realizing that when we leave the church or get angry because we took offense to what someone else said or did; all we are doing is hurting ourselves or impeding our own Salvation. So, Forgive and Forget. If you're holding any grudges, let them go. It's not worth it. I love you all and hope you're having a wonderful week!!



--
Elder Flint
Canada Toronto Mission

Things are bout to get nuts over here.
So we got transfer calls last night. And I am going to be going to a little town called Leamington. It's the most Souther Part of Ontario and it's basically a hick town (agricultural stuff). My new companion's name is Elder Kaden Olsen. He's an English missionary and I've never met him before. So the area is an English Area (with an English Branch), but there's a lot of Spanish people there. So I'll have some fun. I'm super excited though. Elder Valliere, my trainee, is going to Mississauga (my last area) and I super pumped for him.
I'm sorry you got sick this week, Mom. Most all of the missionaries here have been sick too. The coughing is endless. It's funny because we all really like the cold, so we always sleep with the windows open and blow the AC in the car (although it's already quite cold outside), and that problems doesn't help our colds at all. Still we do it. Missionaries are a strange folk.
I'm glad to hear about all the fun Halloween stuff, driers, music, Ice Skating (not sure how that rink is going to work??), and DI.
So apart from sending a companion home, this last week was quite fun. We worked a lot with our Blind Mexican Member. We went thrift shopping with him and bought him a white shirt and tie for Sunday. He looked SO Fly yesterday. He's one of my favorite people in the world. I'm going to miss him.
Last Friday, we had a fun Zone Council, where the Zone (aka Another Elder and I) made breakfast for everyone. It turned out really well and the meeting was great.
Yesterday (Sunday), we were blessed to have a lot of our less active members come to church. We were able to get one of them a temple recommend and family names to take to the Missionary Sponsored Temple Trip this Saturday. It was SO sweet to get everything set up for that trip. I just wish I could go. :'(
Later that night, we met with one of my favorite Spanish Families, the Sifuentes; and another member families. The food was incredible and because I figured I was going to be leaving, I shared with them John 15:12-14, which reads "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." I couldn't even get throught the scripture without bursting into tears. I later told them that they were my friends and they were one of my families in Toronto. Many tears were shed. I'm struggling right now just typing this. I then bore my testimony to them and then Hermana Sifuentes (probably my favorite mom in Toronto), gave the closing prayers. And the waterfalls came out. It was quite the bittersweet goodbye. I pray I'll come back here. But I know that that scripture I shared with them is true. "Greater love hath no man than...laying down his life for his friends." People are incredible. The church is incredible. You form much stronger bonds with others as the Spirit is involved. I love all of my family here in Toronto. I'm sad to be leaving them. But that's life, eh?? I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.
I'll send the rest of the pictures of the Toronto Island/Halloween, later today, hopefully. ;)

HOO HOO HOO HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!
This week has probably been one of the BEST on my mission. And when I say "probably," I mean DEFINITELY!!
I am still jealous though that you had a crazy good spook alley. Wish I could have been the one getting his legs chopped off or kicked in the balls. Wait what?? All your costumes look SICK though. Logan, did you take of the t-shirt for the costume?? You better have. Boxers don't wear t-shirts. And Micah..................... HAPPY BIRTHDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You want to hear something weird. I'm still a teenager too. We're both teenagers. We're in the same boat. You know what that means?? You need to start working on your mission papers. ;) And the bacon mignon sounds super good. Save me a piece. ;)
Like I said this week was a great one. Tuesday we tried to stop by a lot of less-actives and didn't actually find any. But I wore a scarf, so that's good. Wednesday we at with Colombians and picked up my favorite blind Mexican and went to our Wednesday Friendship Night. It was super fun and it was good to see him (the Mexican) because he's been sick and not at church for a long time. Thursday and Friday we helped prepare (and practiced) for the Ward Multicultural Night on Saturday. Then Saturday came...buckle up.
So it started out by my Zone Leader and I going over to another areas English Classes and it ended up that they were having a little Class Halloween Party. So that was a fun pre-party. Good food. Then the real party happened.
So for this activity, every country in our ward was supposed to bring decorations and food from their country to represent. So I brought an American Flag, a HUGE deep fryer that we have, and lots of stuff to deep fry. I tried to deep fry ice cream but the freezer at the church was terrible and the ice cream melted a lot when it hit the hot oil. So that stunk. But some member gave me a pity compliment and told me that the fried ice cream was good. Oh how I love pity compliments. ;)
Then came a talent show. Then it was USA turn to represent their country with a talent. So picture this...
The gym lights turn off, then you hear a keyboard start playing "The Final Countdown" by Europe, then a door opens and you see me in a black rocker wig waving an American Flag. I then hand the flag to another missionary, salute it, pick up an Electric Guitar (hooked up to an AMP); then a pianist, a drummer, and I (the guitarist) start rocking out to the song. IT WAS SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We all had crazy rocker wigs on and we were rocking SO hard core. THEN, the music slows down a little bit, then you hear my voice belting the lyrics over a microphone. It was glorious. We got SO many compliments and people have told us that the video has gone viral (online). So if you would like to see it, it should be on my Facebook page. It was so good though. An accomplishment and memory on my mission that I will never forget. America!!!!!
After that, there were a lot of other great acts, and then the three-hour Spanish dance started. I was SO TRUNKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never wanted to dance with a girl in my LIFE!!!!!! Everyone was dancing with each other and having a great time and the missionaries were just sitting in a group, crying, because they couldn't dance with anybody. Sad day. Some of us did get to do the limbo though. I fell on my back. It was awesome. All in all, the party was INCREDIBLE!!! Best ward party that I've ever been to.
Sunday, less people were at church because everyone was swamped from the party. Nevertheless, Sunday was great. I got to take the sacrament. That's always a plus. Then today happened.
TO Celebrate Halloween, the Zone Leaders and us went to Toronto Island!!!!!! WOO HOO!!! It was a blast. We took tons of pictures (see below). It was really fun. Now, in a few minutes, we're going over to a member's house to carve pumpkins, eat candy, etc. For my costume, I went to a thrift store and bought a two-dollar Bumblebee Mask from the movie Transformers (because everyone here says I look like Shia Leabouf, and my zone leader, Elder Thomas Madrigal Jr. always yells "BUMBLEBEE!!!!" when he sees me).
So all in all. It's been an incredible week. One thing that I've been thinking about a lot, and I've said many times before, is that you can really find a family wherever you go. Especially in the church. In the church, you will always find people who love you for who you are, and will help you, and will party with you. I LOVE my family here in Toronto. And of course I LOVE my family back home. But, I'm trying to make the best of my time here with my Torontonian family because I don't know when I'll leave. And that's the message of it all. Love those you are with when you are with them. Enjoy your time with them. Don't worry about other's that aren't there (if you can't get them there). ENJOY LIFE!!! LOVE PEOPLE!!! People are SO awesome. Love those while you have them. I love you all, but I must love those now who are with me. ;) and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

IT'S BEGININNG TO FEEL A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!!!!
Hoo hoo hoo and a ho ho ho. It's getting C-O-L-D here. I love it. Christmas is just around the corner.
I'm glad Zermatt was fun and relaxing. I'd be very jealous that you have the nicities of buying a gallon of milk, but now I can too!!! I will NEVER get used to bagged milk. It's so dumb. And more complicated. I hope the choir concert goes well for Logan. Hey Logan! How is it working with Mr. Bills?? When playing the piano, is it hard to follow him?? Does he ever yell at you and correct you or does he treat you like a king?? He did a little of both with me. We be tight though.
Wow, yeah. Frightmares does bring back some memories. I'm very glad they've kept the tradition going. HAHA!!! SHASTA FOR DAYS!!! I'm sorry the machine didn't work though. Sad day.
If you want to see my wish list from the LDS Bookstore, go to https://ldsbookstore.com/store/shopcart.aspx?cartid=EbSnyQlpBWY%3d
(my username is ammonflint and my password is Amazon Fruit).
So this week was a short one. Well, it felt like that. To begin off, we went to Toronto's Ripley Aquarium. It was STELLAR!! So worth it!!! I think my favorite thing off all were the Cuddle Fish. SO COOL!!! I want to Cuddle with a Cuddle Fish, except for the fact that it'd eat me with insane speeds. I'll send pictures.
But with great fun, comes great sickness. Tuesday and Wednesday I got super sick. Stomach problem stuff. BUT! I didn't throw up and I'm feeling much better now. What really healed me was the famous drink Choco-Nogo!! So for District Meeting, I brought two of the most delicious drinks in the world: Chocolate Milk and Egg Nog. Then I combined them and had everyone try the invention of Elder Joseph Shearer and Elder Ammon Flint. CHOCO-NOGO!!! It was SO good. And afterwards, I felt great! So it's really a great medicine.
Thursday-Saturday I went on exchanges with my good friend Elder Brett Babbel. It was NUTS!!! The first night together, we stayed up talking until 5:00 AM!!! Then we accidentally slept through the alarm and woke up at 8:00 AM. Woops!! The next day, our sushi appointment bombed, which was very upsetting. And our next appointment bombed. Which was also upsetting. But we had a Pupusa appointment and later taught our progressing investigator, which was very successfull and fun. That night I ended up falling asleep around 11:30-12:00. Which was better.
Saturday we had Stake Conference. It was super good. It was all about Missionary Work so I was all for it.
Sunday morning we had Stake Conference again. Also super good. On the way there, we ran into a Colombian member who shot super fast Colombian at me the whole way there. And she rode with us back. It was great. I got super excited to go to Colombia (one day), and I understood just about everything she was saying, so that made me feel good about myself. :) Later that day, we had dinner with one of my favorite Mexican families. Which was fun.
One scripture that has had a big effect on me this week is D&C 121:43. It's not one you'd expect, but it's talking about leadership and it reads. "Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;" I do love this scripture. I've had to use it a few times this week. Reproving, or rebuking others for things they have done. And at times, it is definitely a necessary thing to reprove someone, but it's very important to show an increase of love afterwards. That love shows many strong points of the reprover: humility, charity, etc. So for all those who need reprove someone. Make sure you love them afterwards, because not only does it help the reprover feel more love for the person; it helps the person feel cared about and loved, which is very important. I love you all and hope that I don't have to reprove any of you...but we'll see. ;) Chao!!

AIEEE!!!!
What a trip. We just got back from a Costco trip. SO intense. And we went out and bought some Christmas gear at a super cheap store. I got a sweet Canada hoodie, a sweater, and a Canada t-shirt. They're sweet souveniers.
To correct your story, Mother, her name is Sister Jordahn Nabhan. She's the only Sister I've sang a duet with (that is home). And I wasn't her Zone Leader. I'm still not a Zone Leader, but my Zone Leaders right now are trying really hard to make me one. We'll see.Yeah Mom!! Sleepin' in the car. Love it!! Sophie's Victory really doesn't surprise me. What will surprise me is when someone beats her and takes the Ice Queen (or Princess) off of her throne. ;) Love you Soph!! Halloween sounds fun. I want to see pictures of Micah as the future President. Haha. Sad but true.
AW LOGAN!!! You Should have gone with the cake answer!!! So much better than those silly puns. Too many puns. Or you should have gone with Micah's idea. Haha. Watch her come to school and hit you because she was so upset that she didn't flip over the box. Heehee.
Good choice Skyler. One of the best things you could have chosen to learn. I want to learn all the instruments in the world!! Why not?? Also good choice on "Let it Be."
Have fun, Dad, competing in the Special Olympics. I know you'll show all those Autism patients whose got the real mental illness!! (thumbs up emogi) ;)
Yeah, you've left me home alone many times. Logan is trustable. pssst. Logan, send me pictures on how the party goes. DON'T LET THEM GO IN MY OLD ROOM!!! OR TOUCH MY INSTRUMENTS!!!! I mean...shhh don't let them touch my instruments. What the heck is the Billster doing?? 850 bucks for San Francisco?? If you're flying planes, GO TO NEW YORK!!! It would be SO GOOD!!!
Well, my week was absolutely wonderful. Tuesday and Wednesday we decided to try something new for our area (due to some personal revelation), so I cooked a few dozen batches of chocolate chip cookies and we went around to a lot of the less actives in our ward (which there are a LOT) and gave them the cookies. Now as a missionary, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are usually slump days. But these were some of the best Tuesdays and Wednesdays I've ever had. We saw many miracles, ran into many potentiel investigators, got to know a lot of ward members, and blessed many people with delicious treats.
On Thursday, we had a big missionary meeting where on of my good friends (Elder Brett Babbel) and I got paired up to give an instruction. It went really well: we popped balloons, spoke different languages, cracked jokes, it was great. Later in the meeting I was interviewed by Presidnet Shields. The interview was very short: Mainly talking about my sickly companion and I learned that I can now play my instruments whenever I want, as long as it doesn't intefere with the work. SWEET STUFF!!! Later that day, we had a surpirse appointment in which we ended up getting two new solid people to teach and baptise. Then we flew to two dinner appointments (with less-active members). It was NUTS!! We had like NO time, but with the Lords hand, we got to each appointment and ate two dinners.
Friday, we helped with a baptism in our ward. Very nice.
Saturday, we had a Venezuelan Chinese woman walk into our English classes (born in China, raised in Venezuela). And her Spanish was far better than her Chinese, so we're teaching her now. Woo hoo!! Never thought I'd baptize a Chinese Woman on my mission.
Sunday was great, because I got the sacrament.
Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving and we celebrated HARD!!! Our first meal appointment was with a Dominican Family that always feeds us on Mondays. We had a huge lunch, played Mormon Charades, watched video performances of "The Prayer," and the 12 Step Videos. It was super fun. Then, my companions and I went on a walk in the brisk weather, through a park, putting up fliers to advertise our English Classes. Quite nice. Then, at 7, all the missionaries met up at the Sifuentes (the Mexicans that always feed us on Sunday), for a HUGE Thanksgiving Dinner. It was DELICIOUS!!! A HUGE Turkey. Mexican Food. I brought 2 liters of Chocolate Milk. IN A GALLON!!! I FOUND MILK (CHOCLATE AND WHITE) IN A GALLON HERE!!! I'm never drinking bagged milk again!!!!!!
All in all, it was a wonderful Thanksgiving. And all the good food gave me terrible heart burn. :)
I know I should probably say something about Giving Thanks, but I want to talk about something else. Fine! I'm grateful for my whole life. My life is honestly perfect. Absolutely perfect. BUT! I want to talk about Personal Revelation. During this last Conference, and through lots of missionary meetings, and through some intense personal prayers; God gave me a lot of personal revelation on how to make my area better, and like I mentioned above, IT WORKED!! I can testify that when we receive suggestions from God, DO IT!!! You may not know or understand how it'll work, but it will. Because God knows. Elder Lawrence's General Conference talk from a couple Conferences ago gives many great examples of that (if mine's not good enough for you ;). Well, I love you all and hope you're enjoying milk in Gallons, because I AM!!!! Chao!!!

What a Week!!
I'm glad everything is going great back home and that you all enjoyed conference. Wow, good work Logan on the accompanying job. That's super sweet. Where and what exactly are you doing?? And good work on the lady slaying. I have no idea who Olivia is though. Send me a pic of her or her social security number or something. I want to KNOW who's taking my bro on a date. I'm already suspicious with the stereotypical way she asked you "Of all the fish in the sea." Hot dang though that she asked you two months early. That just shows that e'rybody wants to get dibs on you early. It makes you feel real special when you have to tell multiple girls "No" to dances because you've already got a date. Answering her though...just write "yes" on a big rock and shatter her bedroom window with it, then run. No. I don't know, you could always ask her in a way that correlates with stuff she likes: Music, dancing, Fashion, World of Warcraft (Whatever she's into). Or use my cake idea, where you put a paper IN the cake saying "Look at bottom of plate" and there's a paper taped there that says "No." I mean "Yes." Whatever you want to do.
I hope all goes well with Halloween and the wings and what not.
Well, this week has actually seemed really long, but it's a good long. On Wednesday, we had District Meeting, and the only other new person in the District is the Grandson of Elder Ballard the Apostle, Elder Ballard. He's fun and really normal, so that's good. It was funny to see him get all excited when his Grandpa got up to talk. And it was funnier when we had him and Elder Monson (President Monson's great nephew, another missionary in our area) shake hands. Wednesday and Thursday I was able to go on exchanges with my black Zone Leader, Elder Paul. He's from Haiti and speaks 5 languages and is going home in 5 weeks so he's SUPER trunky. The exchanges were a lot of fun. I drove, a lot, Downtown. And we taught a few lessons in Portuguese. I was quite impressed with myself. I feel like my Portuguese right now is as good as my Spanish was when I began the mission. Jacare. We then ended Thursday by having a sleepover with Elder Babbel and Ballard, because we were going to the temple the next morning.
Then, the next morning, we went to the temple ;) It was quite nice. Afterwards, a lot of missionaries were greeting and saying goodbye outside of the temple. One of the sister missionaries told me Abigail was looking for me, but she had a meeting she had to go, so we didn't get to see each other. Bummer. But I got to see a lot of old friends and what not. After the temple, a bunch of us missionaries decided to go to Smokes to get some Poutine, and I was so hungry that I decided to try and eat a whole Wow Size again. Along with Elder Valliere. About 9/10ths of the way through the Poutine I felt like I was about to throw up, and almost did, but Elder Babbel, being the good friend he was, told me to take a short break, buy another drink, and then motivated me through the rest of the Poutine, and after four failed attempts, I finished it. Accomplishment!!! My body hurt so bad after that and I had to cleanse the next morning to clean out my system. :) Worth it?? I say yes.
Saturday was a great day. It started out by me going on another quick exchange with Zone Leader Paul and driving a lot more. Then we got back to our chapel RIGHT as Conference started. All of Conference on Saturday was great, and exhausting. I've been so tired this week even though all I've really done is drive around a lot and sit down and watch Conference. Weird stuff.
Sunday was also great watching Conference. For the second session, we went to a member's house and ate dinner with them afterwards. It was very nice.
One of my absolute favorite things was the GREENIE POWER!!! Many of the new Seventy Members that we got last Conference gave some of the most powerful talks. Although, Elder Weatherfold T. Clayton didn't speak, I was still very impressed with them all. Two of my favorite talks were by Elder W Mark Basset on obtaining knowledge through the Holy Ghost, and by Elder K Brett Nattress on Mothers and Children. Mom, you really are an angel (I have to say that, you're my Mom ;). But really, you've worked miracles to get me where I'm at right now and you're continuing to work miracles to help support the family. Another thing I really got out of the talk was one of the purposes of parenthood. My favorite quote, that always brings tears to my eyes was when Elder Nattress was talking about how incredible it would be to have your kids turn to you and say "Mom, Dad, it's really Him." THAT! is the purpose of parenthood: to have your children be able to receive their own testimony of Jesus Christ and his restored church. Parents are crucial to helping their children receive the testimonies that will get them through life and into the Celestial Kingdom in the next life. I know I'm not a parent yet, but I'm excited to be one...in time. ;) I hope you all enjoyed conference and if you didn't watch it. WATCH IT!!!!! Nough said. I love you all. Chao!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABIGAIL!!!! or sister allred.
Just had to shout out to my cousin in the Mish. I feel bad, I should have called her. Haha. There's a member, Jimmy, who has all the missionaries' phone numbers and sometimes I invite him to come teaching with us and I tell him to call her so I can talk to her. Haha. Nothing wrong with that right?? No. I'm glad you're feeling better now, Mom. And yeah, I doubt Elder Arnold will speak again so soon. He was so nice and gentle during Conference. If only people could meet the real him. :) Woot Woot!!! Those shirts look SWEET!!! I was a little bummed because I did play beater for Hufflepuff back in Hogwarts and I saw that Savannah is getting the Beater Jersey, BUT I was team captain for that team also, so all is well. I'M PUMPED for that though. Super Trunky. And MAN! The Claytons are hosting the CTM Reunion?!?! And I checked the sign up list and already recognized a bunch of names. MORE TRUNKY! AND you want' to know when I'm coming home?? Sheesh!! Ya tryin' ta kill mee?? Well, because I got an extra week added on to my mission, it should Thursday, August 3rd. I know President Shields has the authority to change it if I have to leave early for school or what not. But honestly, I just want to get exactly 2 years in. A 2 year mission. July 29th 2015 to July 29th, 2017. If anyone tries to send me home before that, I'll tell them to take a hike. Oooohhhh. A Puertorrican Christmas. What fun.
Oh yes. We got transfer calls last night. Elder Staheli, my companion, is pulling an "Elder Flint" and going from Chritstie North to Black Creek Central. And I and Elder Valliere are staying here!! AND! my first son (trainee) is coming to serve with us in a trio. Yipee! I'm SO old. I'm like a father having to babysit his two sons. :| All I know is that I'm going to be wiped after this next transfer. I thought one of them was a handful....   BUT! I'm happy to be staying here in Toronto. I'm going to really try to be a better example this transfer and help out my two trainees.
Well this week was pretty nuts. To give an example, it's POURING rain right now. LOVE IT!!
Actually, to be frank. This week was pretty below par for me. But I saw a lot of other peoples' lives blessed. So that makes me happy. One of my favorite families in the ward just had a new baby, so I was able to see it and hold and tickle it (kidding, that's illegal for missionaries) yesterday. But it was quite cute. Along with that, I made another Chocolate Cheesecake for the Birthday of Elder Paul, my Haitian Zone Leader that speaks five different langauges. I also helped a lot of families out doing Family History work. I've decided that I'm going to have three automatic callings when I get home: Family History Consultant, Ward Organist, and Bishop. jeje ;) I had lots of good Hispanic Food (I made Tostones with this giant deep-fryer we have in our apartment. Tostones are fried green plantains, SUPER GOOD). Other fun things that happened this week is finally we had an investigator come to church last Sunday, and we were able to meet a lot of interesting people. And let me tell you, there's a lot of interesting people in Toronto. A story?? Fine, I'll tell you one.
So, one of the other Spanish Missionaries in Toronto is Elder Babbel. He is one of my favorite missionaries and my brother by birth (mission birth). For the longest time he'd always say, "I'm Lucy." In the girliest, high, girly voice (for an example, have Dad say it :). One day I asked Elder Babbel who "Lucy" is. He told me "he" is a transvestite (or a man that dresses and acts like a woman) from El Salvador, that one sent in a referral for the missionaries to come over, basically so "he" could flirt with them and probably other things (luckily they fled quickly). So yesterday, a woman from Salt Lake City called us to give us an online referral. We were excited because as Spanish missionaries, we don't get online referrals AND we had gotten another one a few days ago which turned out to be super solid. The lady on the phone was describing this lady who just asked for a visit from the missionaries and her name was Lucy Hernandez. She then gave us her phone number and address. My first thought was, "Lucy" isn't really a Spanish name, then my next thought was the Holy Ghost impersonating Elder Babbel saying "I'm Lucy." So I immediately called Elder Babbel and asked him what THE Lucy's last name was and he said he thinks it was "Hernandez." So we all started freaking out. Elder Babbel said he'd call her because he'd know his voice right off the bat. So he calls him and it goes straight to voice mail. Then Lucy calls Elder Babbel back and Elder Babbel makes the mistake of saying, "Hello, this is the Missionaries." Lucy then says, "Hello," then Elder Babbel hangs up the phone because he knows it's him. "Lucy," now knowing it's a missionary's number, calls him back like a dozen times and leaves a couple of voice mails talking about how he wants the handsome Elders to come over to his house and all this crap. AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crazy stuff!! The adventures we have in Toronto.
Well on a happier note. One thing I have been talking about with a lot of people is the reason for church and church attendance. One of our solid members told us that he feels like his testimony deteriorates while at church because he's not in what he calls the "elite" group of members and people sometimes say mean things about others at church. When he said that, I thought, "Who Cares?! Church isn't about socialization, it's about the Sacrament!!" Luckily after talking with the Bishop, the member came this last Sunday. And later this week, I was talking with an older woman on the Subway and she told me that church is all about socialization and she doesn't need that anymore. I paused and thought. Then I said "Although socialization is a plus, our church focuses on Ordinances and Covenants, or ways we can come close to God and make it back to Heaven." And it's true. But sometimes we need to realize that. We need to realize that church is not about meeting our group of friends and forming cliques, but "everything we do in this church is to help people get to the temple" (quote from an apostle). Everything. It's all for Salvation. Not Popularity. I LOVE our church because it is so focused on Eternal Life. It really is the goal for everyone. I Love you all and hope to see you all in the Celestial Kingdom. :) Chao!!  

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I had most of an email written up last week, but our leaders were going to drive us somewhere to play sports with a big group of missionaries so I wasn't able to finish it. I was going to finish it later last Monday and send it, but I forgot...
I'm sorry to hear about all the jerks in works. I'm glad you didn't quit though because 1. Flint's aren't quitters and integrity is an incredible quality to have. 2. We read in D&C 122 "that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." I invite you to read that whole section. It's short but intense. and 3. Both of you working means more money means more inheritance for Ammon. :) How Was Hunchback?!?!? I LOVE that show. It's super crazy that it is now a staged musical. It hasn't been for the longest time (apart from in Disneyland). Tell me how it was!!! I'm glad you all had a fun time in all your shinanagans.
HAHA! I'm so popular. ;) That's a funny story though, Mom. I really want to know who it was now. I'm trying to think of some names, Crippen maybe??
MOM! Stop making me trunky. Especially for Christmas. It's SO far away, don't make me think about it. Honestly though, I can't really think of anything I really want. I don't want anything that I'm going to have a hassle bringing home. I've collected some things here on the mission, but when I come back, I'm going to try and leave a lot of things here (especially clothes, because by the end of the mission, most of my clothes are going to be trashed). Maybe some sheet music (piano/organ/guitar). Chocolate. Money. That's all I really desire in life. :)
I'll ponder more on it. HAHA!!!! HUFFLEPUFFS RULE!!!! Don't do DARE be ashamed to be a Hufflepuff, Savannah. Own It!! Well, if you want to know EXACTLY what my wand is. It has a Phoenix Feather Core, it's made of Elm, it is approximately 14 1/2 inches long, it is slightly flexible, dark, straight, and round. Anything else?? Of course Dad is a squib. Why don't you get some QuickSpell ya squib!? Good Work Soph!! I feel like I'm saying that in all of my emails. And good job Savannah on typing your name. ;) And no, Mom, you're not a failure. And I forgive you. That was the first time in over a year that you didn't email me, it was bound to happen. Don't worry about it. I only cried for 2 hours. ;)
SO! I'll just add on to what I wrote last week.
So last week started out with me making a boob mistake of buying a new pair of winter boots at Walmart (for about 45$) and coming back to the apartment to realize that another missionary left basically the EXACT same pair of boots, same company, same size; in the apartment. Going back to Walmart!!
Last week was great though. The weather started out hot, humid, and terrible; but now it rained the last few days and the weather is starting to cool down. Can't wait for Winter!!! Last (last) Thursday, we had the incredible opportunity to have Elder Mervyn B. Arnold come to Toronto to Tour the Mission. And let me tell you HE IS FIRE!!!!! So we started out having a leadership meeting before the general missionary meeting and for the most part, he rebuked us on EVERYTHING wrong we've been doing. It was SO intense. He definitely showed what it means in D&C 121 to "reprove betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost." Let me tell you, if the other missionaries were in that meeting, MANY sister missionaries would have broken down in tears and some ELDERS would have also. True story.
Being me, I was keeping eye contact with him while he was "thrashing us" and when he sees someone looking him in the eyes, he stares into your very soul. I feel like more than half of that meeting was him and I staring at each other and he analyzing me from the inside out. At one part of the meeting, I chuckled at something he said, and he called me out by saying "I like you Elder, come up to the front." Then he had me come to the front of all the leaders and smile at them. Then he said "You can go sit down now." Super funny.
Later, to begin the general missionary meeting, we started with a musical number I had to put together with missionaries from all over the mission singing the EFY Medley (We'll Bring the World His Truth and As Sisters in Zion). With very little practice and lots of prayer, we actually did very good. After that, I went and sat down and Elder Arnold got up again, looked at me, and asked me if I want to help him again. I said sure and he once again, called me up to the front. He then told me to hold up my arms and stand there, which I did for about ten minutes. He then asked me how I felt and I said "I can't feel my arms anymore." He told the APs to come up and hold my arms up, which they did (not very well) and he talked about how we need to "Help each other in the work." We than stood up there for another ten minutes, with them holding my arms up. Finally he looked at us and said "All right Elders, give him a huge, then send him home." So while I was giving the second Elder a hug, I whispered, "all right, now send me home." We laughed and he said "Give me your name tag." It was all very funny.
The rest of the meeting was great. Abigail was there and I got to practice role plays with her, fun stuff!!
The rest of last week was pretty average. Some fun things that happened were we went to this authentic Mexican Restaurant called "King's Tacos." The food was very authentic and all the waitresses (and waiters) spoke Spanish. 'Twas a blast. Also, we helped paint a house, sang a musical number in Sacrament meeting (Lord, I Would Follow Thee), and yeah.
So last week seemed to go by super fast, so this email shouldn't be too much longer. ;)
Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with my brotha', Elder Brett Babbel. He reminds a TON of my best friend, Elder Joseph Shearer, so appropriately, we get along. We had a good time, and visited an El Savladorian member who fed us delicious food.
On Thursday, (you'll be proud of me for this, Mom) we went to the house of some of my favorite members the Genoas/Trujillos, and I made and brought Chocolate Decadence. They, appropriately, fell in love with it. Sister Genoa wanted the recipe, but I told her it was a secret recipe, so she went through and asked me if a bunch of different ingredients were in it. She didn't get much out of me.
On Friday, we had a Zone Council which was a lot of fun. Our whole Zone ate breakfast together, then had a meeting where we played some games and recieved instruction on different things. It was very fun.
Saturday was quite the day. We had a ward picnic planned at a park nearby, at 2:00 PM. But it was raining ALL DAY, so we had to change the location to the chapel. So at 2:00, all the missionaries were there with a few members waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Some members had the hamburger meat and were stuck in traffic. They didn't show up until about 3 hours later. It was rough. Luckily, our appointment at 5:00 PM canceled. But the food came, more members came, and then a homeless man came. So there's this fat, balding, Italian man (some people say he's homeless, some say he has a home), but he's been known for coming into our church, yelling things in Italian, stealing a lamp or something, then running out. He showed up at the picnic, and our bishop invited him to come sit down and served him some food and drink. The man was being very rude and demanding and Elder Babbel was super upset because he himself hadn't had a hamburger yet, but this man was served one made personally for him. It was pretty funny. Eventually, this man gets up and walks out of the gym and Elder Babbel, Elder Staheli, and I all get up and bee-line in to the door he walked out of. We find that he had gone into the kitchen and was now fighting with one of the member ladies in their cooking and going through the drawers (probably looking for something to steal). We were about to grab him and throw him out, but Bishop flies by us and grabs him himself and throws him out of the chapel. The whole time, this man is yelling in a high pitched, girly, Italian voice. Jesu Cristo!! Jesu Cristo!! Todo bene!! Todo bene!! Which means "Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, It's Okay, It's Okay!!!" So we threw him out and locked all the doors. It was great.
Yesterday, Sunday, was also a nice day. All the missionaries sang "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul," while I played the piano, for a Missionary's Farewell in the English Ward. We also had dinner with one of my favorite Mexican Families, the Sifuentes. It's a single mom with her four kids and she is SO funny. She's like Dad in Mexican Mom form. We had a lot of fun there.
One thing I've been studying a lot lately, and we talked about at Zone Council, is having charity. I ended up giving a talk two Sundays ago, about Charity, in Sacrament meeting and I quoted 1 Corinthians 13 and the talk "Charity Never Faileth" by Thomas S. Monson in the October General Conference of 2010. I invite you all to read both of those. 1 Corinthinas 13 makes it very clear that Charity will never end. Paus says many things will fade away or dissapear, but charity, the pure love of Christ, no. I, and my Zone Leader, quoted verse 11 in 1 Corinthians 13 saying "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." As missionaries, we sometimes do dumb things and forget that we're examples of Jesus Christ, so our zone needed a little reminder of that. But, even as people, we honestly sometimes do "childish" things. We just need to remember that we are children of God and that our goal in life is to become like him. So have charity and put away childish things. That is my invitation to you. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week. Chao!!

Oye! (That's Spanish for...well, for a lot of things, but in this context it means "I'm tired physically, mentally, and emotionally" ;)
That's great, Mom, that all is going a lot better. I think studies show that if you keep up a different schedule for like 2-3 weeks straight, your body will adapt and it will become the norm for you. Not sure, but I'm glad all is working out. And attitude really does make all the difference. Haha! Yeah, Hispanics eat a lot of potatoes (especially in French Fry form). Another popular snack food, you could say, that all Hispanics eat is called Salchipapas. I can assure you Dad knows what they are. Basically it's just fried french fries and hot dog bits thrown together and it's SUPER popular in Spanish countries. The other day, we were eating with a Peruvian member (the one who introduced me to Lomos Saltados), and she made us Salchipapas with...get this...FRY SAUCE!! She had this pink sauce drizzled on top of it all and I asked her (in Spanish) "What is this sauce??" and she said (in French ;) "It's basically ketchup, mayonaisse, some pepper and other things." So I told her (in Elvish) "This sauce is SUPER famous in Utah, we basically invented it." It was very funny. So yes, I am a pro at making french fries now.
This week...went. If I remembered what happened I'd tell you. Kidding, I'll pull out my planner to see what we did. :)
Ahhh yes. Last Monday was a very fun P-Day. A few weeks ago, we found a random teddy bear in Walmart that had a tag on it that said "Take me to the Photo Place (I forgot the name) and you can get a free photo shoot." So we did, and last Monday us three and two other missionaries dressed up in bowler hats, top hats, cowboy hats, and fake mustaches and wait and had a free photo shoot. It was SWEET!!! I basically looked exactly like Charlie Chaplin except for with brown hair and missionary clothes. The pictures were great but we learned we only get one for free and if we want all of them (like 30) even digitally, we have to pay a hundred bucks. So forget that idea!! The experience was great and we'll get a big black-and-white group picture pretty soon here (I'll send the picture). Later that day we went to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) and we were lucky to have a member that could get us in for free. We went because there were two exibits going on there (a tattoo exhibit and a glass nature exhibit called Chihuly) going on at the same time and the tattoo one ended yesterday. Chihuly for some dumb reason was temporarily closed when we were there, bummer. But we went to the tattoo exhibit, which was pretty good. A lot of mens' butts covered in tattoos which didn't really tickle my fancy. There was a lot of really cool tattoo art, but I couldn't help but think Why?? Art is incredible and wonderful and I love and respect it with all my heart, but on your body, your temple from God. Not really my cup of tea. We went to other parts of the museum which was a ton of fun.
Other than that, this week was kind of a slump. We've been trying hard to work with the members to find more investigators to teach, and we've seen a lot of miracles and gotten lots of members willing to invite their friends. They just need to start inviting their friends. :)
Yesterday (Happy Belated Labor Day by-the-by, yes we do celebrate it here in Canada) I was able to see a principle put into action at the outcomes of it. I've been trying a lot harder lately to be more bold and not sugar-coat everything to try and make the Gospel seem to adaptable to people. I've fallen guilty of that many times when people state their beliefs, and when they aren't exactly the same as ours, me trying to re-word and contort our beliefs to make them more accepting of it. And that's not good. The Gospel is truth and if people aren't willing to accept it, stinks to be them. But we, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, need not fear what others have to say about the Gospel. And we must not fear speaking the truth in all times and in all things and in all places. We shouldn't be ashamed of what we believe. Yesterday, we were in a area with a lot of crackheads, crazies, and homeless people, and a man confronted me and asked me my opinion on some questions. I decided to be very blunt with him and tell him what I thought. And for the most part, he agreed with me (except that beer makes you live longer :). He later when on to say that he used to come to our church in Calgary and we were able to invite him to church here and gave him our contact information. It was a great experience. On the other hand, my companion, Elder Staheli, was talking to three Lesbians on a bus and they asked him what our churches belief on homosexuality was. He told them that we believe in marriage between a man and a woman. They weren't too happy. Luckily we were leaving the bus at that time, but they got some choice words in their before we left. Nevertheless, in both of those situations we did not fear man, but God, and we were not afraid to speak the truth and stand up for our church, no matter the cost. The Gospel is a wonderful thing and it is so true. I love you all and hope you all have a wonderful week!! 

WOOO HOOO!!!!
GO LOGAN!!! FINALLY!!!!
That sounds like a pretty good first date (that you planned). A romantic walk through the trees. Feeding each other cookies and watermelon in the candle light. Watching the sunset and the stars. SO ROMANTIC!!!! And I know exactly what you're talking about when you say "we stalled them" aka "making out." HA HA!!!! Don't worry Logan, I won't tell Mom. ;) Good work though kiddo. I'm proud of you. Sorry about the musical number, learn now that using loose sheets of paper is absolutely the WORST way you could play a song. Either stick them in plastic sheets, three whole punch them and put them in a binder, or stick them in plastic sheets and stick those in a binder. Loose sheets suck. I know. I've done what you just did probably a dozen times. What's even worse is when you have a hymn book and it closes AND falls off the piano in the middle of the song. Yikes. Also, sorry about the ankle. Milk it for what it is because girls in high school LOVE playing nurse and helping out the wounded. Look at Mom, she's far out of High School and she's still playing that game. ;)
HI Mom. Heh heh. How's school?? Sorry to hear about all the craziness.
That's SWEET that Nick's going to Barcelona and Nathan going's to Brazil. I'm glad he's finally going out after putting it off for so long. Honestly, one of the best decisions I've ever made is going out RIGHT after my 18th birthday. No waiting. But it's good he's going out and I'm SUPER jealous that he's going to Sao Paulo. I've met SO many people here from there. Everyone here downtown speaks Portuguese. I LOVE Brazilian people. In my free time I study Portuguese so for my homecoming talk, I'll bear my testimony in Portuguese. Ha ha! Dulce de Leche (or Arequipa as Dad and I like to call it) Cake shouldn't be too hard to make. You just have to layer a normal cake with Dulce de Leche and then pour some more over the top of it. Good luck!!
Sophie, if you can lift me up by the time I get back, you're like an ant. Ant-Woman is what I'll call you. You may be getting stronger, but I'm getting fatter. ;) Once the holidays end though, I'm Cleanse Dieting!!
Savannah, I like Chocolate Salami (see below) and Schwarma (also chicken). I had a baby this week. My baby is Elder Valliere. Love, Ammon.
Wait WHAT!?!?! A BABY?!?! HA HAAA!!!
So, last Monday, during P-Day, our Zone Leaders told us that the Assistants to the President told them that Elder Staheli and I are going to be taking their van and going up to Brampton the next day. That night, President Shields called us and told us that we're getting a new missionary to train!! Elder Valliere came to the mission last December, but because of some complications at home, he had to return after about two weeks in the field. Now he's out again and we're training him. Having had to go home and come back, we were worried that he was going to be a weirdo or have some weird problems, but this Elder is a STUD!! His Spanish is already pretty good and he's very open, fast-learning, and a hard-working guy. He's from Layton, Utah, which makes us a trio of Utah Missionaries!! Woot woot!! Cream of the Crop!! I love telling people, "Yep, all three of us are from Utah. Three white, teenager Mormon boys. Can't get any more stereotypical than that." :)
This Thursday, we went over to visit one of my favorite families in the ward, the Trujillo/Genoa family. Kelly Genoa, a young woman who just got off her mission in Peru and I planned on making Lomos Saltados for the rest of the family. Lomos Saltado is one of my favorite dishes in the WORLD!! It's Peruvian and it was the first Hispanic dish I had on my mission. If you don't know, it consists of steak strips, french fries, tomatoes, onions, rice, and other stuff if you desire. So we went over, they gave me an Ecuadorian apron (because that's where they're from) and we got cooking. It was SUPER fun. And afterwards, it was super delicious. I'll bring that recipe home and make some for all y'all. Kelly got some pictures of me cooking, so I'll have to get them an send them to you. She's applying to a college up here called "George Brown" with is prominent for it's incredible cooking program. I'm very much considering studying there after a couple years in UVU. I've already had MANY member families offer me a place in their house. So we'll see. :)
The rest of this week consisted of me giving my first District Meeting in Spanish, us eating chocolate Salami, meeting with a blind Mexican, me getting a stellar organ lesson from a missionary (who's father is an organist know world wide, Welch is the last name), getting two new Dominican Investigators through our English class (gonna baptize them), contacting lots of people in Portuguese, and eating lots of Spanish food. It's the good life.
Toady we're planning on going to the ROM (the Royal Ontario Museum) for P-Day and later this week Elder Mervyn B. Arnold of the Seventy is coming to tour our mission. I'm pumped!! Going to get his tie.
One thing I've been really trying to focus on this week is talking a step back from the hub-a-bub of everything and realizing how great life is. We are SO blessed to be living in this beautiful world, which was created by our Savior Jesus Christ, under the direction of our loving Father in Heaven. And through Jesus Christ, we can repent everyday and partake of the sacrament weekly. Through Him, we can find happiness everyday and freedom from the pains of the world. In addition to that, we have a constant communication with our Father in Heaven through prayer. Every night, before I go to bed, I go out to our porch, look at the beautiful view we have of the skyline of Toronto (best in the mission :) and get on my knees to talk with my Father in Heaven. It is one of the best parts of my days. In the scriptures, we see many prophets that go into the mountains to talk with Heavenly Father, even Jesus Christ himself did it. I invite all of you to find your "mountain." Whether it be a literal mountain, or you porch, or even just a small room where you can converse with Heavenly Father. It really makes all the difference, not just for us, but I know our Loving Father in Heaven will be appreciative of it too. He loves you. I love you too, but more importantly, He loves you. :) I hope you have a wonderful week. CHAO!!

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!! (cue Aerosmith "Back in the Saddle Again)
Oh Ho Ho. It is SO GOOD to be back. Honestly. I LOVE the city!! And we're going to KILL IT this transfer.
I'm down Mom. I'll sing it when I come back. Only like a dozen people there will understand it, but heh, that's life. Sounds like life is just one big party over there. Yeah, here too. ;)
Woohoo!! Good work Sophie!!! That's SO COOL!! Why is the Flint family just unfairly talented. It makes everyone else look like a fool! I can't wait to see you ice skate when I get back Soph. Maybe we can do a partner ice skate. I'll use my strong muscles to lift you up and I'll skate around. Then you can lift me up. ;) No way?? I didn't even think Rhys had graduated from elementary school yet. Haha. That's SO cool though. I'm sure he'll have fun learning Japanese. Racist Mom. Not ALL Japanese people are small. Just 99% of them. :}
This week was off the charts. So I just won't write about it and tell you all when I get home. SIKE! Buckle up.
So last Monday (P-Day), we celebrated our last transfer as a District and had a District lunch at an All-You-Can-Eat Chinese Restaurant called the Mandarin. It was SWEET!! After we stuffed ourselves, I surprised one of the Sisters in the District, Sister Spencer, with a Surprise Birthday Chocolate Cheesecake (she had previously told me that was her favorite type of cake). It honestly was one of THE best cakes I've ever made. She was very appreciative. So we had a delicious time eating that cake, and then we went home and packed up our bags and cleaned up the apartment.
Tuesday (Transfer Day). After the zipper of my overfilled suitcase popped and I had to ingeniously put together a makeshift zipper to fix it. We met up with a bunch of other missionaries at Brampton, said goodbye to many (including the infamous Elder Kylan Erickson :), then we went to our new areas and got Right to work. My new companion, Elder Kyle Staheli is from Enterprise, Utah (yeah Utah, cream of the crop!!). Enterprise is down South by St. George, but close to the border with Nevada. He has twelve siblings I believe. He's a pretty quite guy, but we've already had a ton of fun and we get along great together. We met up with my favorite blind Mexican, Adalberto right after we lunched and then later that night, you guessed it, I taught MORE Portuguese people. It never ends for me. After English Classes, we gave a chapel tour to two new Brazilian students because the Portugues Elders (Zone Leaders) had to leave. I'm convinced that President Shields is going to put me in Portuguese work sooner or later. Revelation! Write it down.
The rest of the week consisted of me meeting the returning members we're working with and reuniting with other ward members I knew in the days. All we do now is work with inactive members. I just want to TEACH and BAPTIZE!!! It'll happen. Oh ho. It'll happen. We've been talking with a bunch of Spanish people and finding potential investigators that hopefully we'll start teaching soon. I contacted a Colombian family on the bus who said they weren't very religious (which is great because usually they're die hard Catholics). Hopefully we'll be able to teach them this week and baptize them the next one ;)
Yesterday, Sunday, was quite a day. After all the meetings and what not, we went over to a member family's house named the Lugos. He's the Ward Missionary Leader so he had all the Spanish/Portuguese missionaries over along with some RMs and a soon to leave missionary in the ward. It was a BLAST!! We had some delicious dinner and played lots of fun games, like Chubby Bunny (don't know what it is?? look it up ;) Kimbery Trujillo (a famous RM in Toronto), dared me to chug this sketchy bowl a Salad Dressing that was on the table in front of me. There really wasn't all that much so I asked her what she'd give me for it. She eventually promised to buy me a Soccer Jersey from Ecuador (which is where she's from), so I took the offer and chugged it. The dressing consisted of olive oil, salt, and an amount of vinegar that should never be consumed by the human body. I don't understand why my body didn't reject it and throw it up, but it didn't!! But the rest of that day my chest burned like crazy. Worth it?? Absolutely. And I'm excited to get my Ecuadorian Jersey very soon. 
Oh, and another great thing that happened this week was we were able to see a Prophet!! M. Russell Ballard, the man, the legend. Also Randall K Bennet, of the 70 was there accompanying him. I was playing the Organ for the meeting and as I was finishing "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" (for Prelude music), everyone started standing up because he walked in the door RIGHT next to me. He looked at me and said "Hey Elder." I so ingeniously said "Hey." Then he said "That sounded good." I again with my witty replies said "Thank you." Then he sat down. Before the meeting he wanted to shake everyone's hand, so the missionaries went up by rows (depending on where they were sitting) and shook his hand. Me, being on the stand, wasn't really sure where to go. So I didn't go anywhere. And by the time I was like "Maybe I should go now," he was already sitting down, so I thought "Eh, too late. That's life kid." But don't you worry. I got my handshake. Halfway through the meeting we took a break, which President Shields asked me to play some intermediate organ for, and once again Elder Ballard came in and finally came over and shook my hand. Last but not least. Not at all. ;) Later that day he gave another meeting to Ward Councils and we were able to watch that Broadcasted to our chapel, along with his Broadcast he gave Sunday morning to all of Ontario.
One of the things I really liked that Elder M. Russell Ballard said is that "It is impossible for the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to lead this church astray." Impossible. He talked about how this world has many different ideas and views and that even in the church there are some weird ideas and false doctrine floating around. He said that we MUST look to the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They are our source of true doctrine and they will never lie to us. It was incredible to listen to the experiences he shared about his time with the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles. I've read their talks and I can testify that they are called of God. They are inspired and they are incredible, intelligent men that will never lead this church in the wrong direction. I invite you all to read or listen to their talks and follow their council. It's SO true. I love you all and hope you have a great week. Chao!!

Elder Staheli and I after we bought some Hispanic Caps. Viva Colombia!!

Yeah!! Free stuff and small cabins!!
That sounds fun. Man! if it was like Nancy's bunkhouse than that thing was REALLY small. Not like the Briggs' Cabin. I'm glad the lake was fun and the hotel was also. Sweet stuff!! Ragtime at the Eccles Theater. Jealous!! Did you guys end up going to Tomato Street also?? So what's your new calling Mom?? Relief Society President!!! Yeah yeah!! Yeah school!! Not for me. BUT I also have a big change coming up in the mission. Because we got transfer calls last night. Ooooohhhh.
SO. I, Elder Ammon Flint, have been called to RETURN to Downtown Toronto!!! Woot woot!! I'm going back to the area I started in!! I'm SUPER PUMPED!!!!!! My new companion will be Elder Staheli. He came out a few months ago (like 6). He's from Utah (the cream of the crop). Elder Delap is also leaving Mississauga. He's going to a town called London (yes in Ontario). So we're "white-washing" out (or they're putting two new Elders into our area). It's gunna be intense!! And I'm SO excited to be going back home to the Christie Ward. I've missed those kids. I hope I stay downtown until after the holidays. It's three trasfers (4 1/2 months), so keep you fingers crossed!! BUT! We of course HAD to have a baptism before they kicked us out of Mississauga. So we did.
Jherouoi Fotine (we found out we've been spelling his name wrong this whole time) was baptized YESTERDAY!!!! It was SO good!! For the baptismal service, I played (the piano) and sang "Glorious" (made famous by David Archuleta) in Spanish. I looked up while I was performing to see Jherouoi crying in his seat. SUCCESS!!! After the baptism, we went to their house and had dinner and said goodbye to them all. I cried. Appropriately. Pictures will follow (not of me crying).
Other than that, this week has been a montage of saying goodbye to lots of people. Sad days. BUT, we ended up going to the Colombia Mia (my favorite Colombian Restaurant). And something really funny happened. So our waitress started speaking with us in Spanish and then she asked us where we were from and I said the United States, and she said yeah, you don't look like Hispanics (this is all in Spanish by the by). I asked her where she was from and she said Cuba. Hmmm...unique. I flashed back to this time I was sitting in the library, emailing my family, and I heard this young woman speaking on the phone in really fast Spanish. At first I wasn't sure if it was Spanish or not. So after I finished emailing, I asked her where she was from and she told me Cuba. Hmmm...unique. Flash forward to the restaurant, and I'm turning to Elder Delap saying "That's the girl that we met in the library a few weeks ago." When the waitress (her name is Lizi) returns I tell her that I met her in the library weeks back. At first she's confused (C'MON! missionaries stick out like sore thumbs, how did you forget??) but then she remembered. It was super fun. We talked with her a little bit more and invited her to the baptism of Jherouoi. She didn't come. BUT! The new Elders coming in will baptize her.
Last Saturday, Elder Delap and I decided to go to this All You Can Eat Korean BBQ Restaurant that we had been eyeing a few weeks back. It was SO GOOD!!! It brought me back to the days when we ate Korean BBQ. TRUNKY!!!! They literally brought out raw meat and we ate it!! AFTER we cooked it on a BBQ/Stove that was IN our table. Gotcha! It was SO cool!! This was all happening while Toronto was getting a HUGE Flash Flood and supposedly a Tornado touched down somewhere also. Crazy stuff. I LOVED the rain though.
This week was an absolutely incredible and I think one thing that has just made it a little better is I've been watching the Bible Videos the church came out with, of Christ. I invite you all to watch those, and watch them again if you already have. They are SO good. My testimony of Jesus Christ has grown immensely. I had the great opportunity to bear that testimony at the baptism yesterday and I would like to bear it to all of you. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. He is the Son of God and he is my older brother. "He is the Jehovah of the Olde Testament and the Messiah of the New" (The Living Christ). He is the bread of life and the water of life. He atoned for our sins, pains, sufferings, and afflictions. Through him we can repent, be clean, and start a new life. He lived a perfect life and he loves us perfectly because he has a perfect body. He was the first to rise from the dead with a resurrected body. He established his church on the earth and that church has been restored through modern day prophets. I know this to be true. This is the true church, The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day States. I know it to be true. I love you all and hope that you all have a good week. Chao!!

#missionislife

RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGTTTTTTTTTTIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you're killin' me. What theater is that in?? I'm decently familiar with the ones in Logan. Well, jokes on you. Matilda the Musical is here in Toronto and I got President Shield's permission to go. Ha ha. Not really. I wonder if I could get that though. Hmmmm??? Ay!! And Tomato Street Garlic Bread too?? You WANT me to come home early. Jokes on you, I'm not falling for it. I honestly couldn't even fathom the idea of coming home early. It's unfathomable...or without fathom. It's so surreal to me. #missionislife
Yes, the camera cord works. But no, I don't think it will fix my camera. It's pretty out of whack. The pictures I sent were from Elder Delap's Camera. I'll keep working on mine though. And no, Russell M Ballard hasn't come yet. August 20th. I'll get that tie. ALSO, I was asked to play the piano/organ for that meeting, so I'll be right up there on the stage with him. Cool Beans!! Have fun at Couer d' Alene. That's French No?? Everything's French here in Canada. So annoying. HEY LOGAN!!! WHY DON'T YOU CRAM ONE MORE DATE INTO THIS SUMMER!!!! Or one date at all!! You've blatantly ignored me enough!!!! BUT! Since the school year is coming up, you will be forced to ask girls to dances. HAHA!! And if you don't, everyone (girls and boys alike) will hate you and bully you!! Including Me!! Just kidding (kind of). I love you bro. BUT! My rule for you is that you must go on AT LEAST one date in between dances. AT LEAST ONE!!! That is SO easy!! JUST DO IT!!
I apologize ahead of time for the long letter. This week was quite eventful.
So last Tuesday, we went over to the Black Creek Central Elders' house to sleep over before District Meeting the next day. It was pretty good. And then we had District Meeting. Which was more than pretty good. SO, this was our last District Meeting in Jolly July, so I had everyone bring all their Christmas decorations and apparel and we had a BLAST!! Other than singing Christmas songs and sharing Christmas stories, I planned an activity where we did "role plays" of contacting different Christmas Characters (Santa, Ebeneezer Scrooge, Rudolph, and of course, Buddy the Elf). It was so fun. And then we took some toffee I made and went to carol to the other District. What happened though, was the other District ended their District Meeting WAY early and some of them had already left. Losers. BUT we sang to a few championships in the hallway and afterwards, we took a Jolly July Christmas Picture. Hopefully later today, or next week. I'll have some Jolly July Christmas Cards for all of you!!!
Later that day I went on exchanges with Elder Anthony Martin Leyton Rivera, from Peru. One of my BEST Friends in the mission. We had a super fun day where we got fed a TON by the members. He's such a stellar missionary and I love going throughout the day only speaking Spanish.
Thursday was good. We found two new people to teach. Yay! Also, we made cookies and I wrote a letter of encouragement and we brought them over to Jeroe's house. We luckily caught him just leaving and gave him the cookies and the letter (which he both loved).
Friday, July 29th 2016, was a memorable day. I hit my mid-life crisis. And it was a wonderful one. SO. To start out. In the middle of our studies, we get a phone call from the vehicle coordinator of the mission, who tells us that he has a new shiny car waiting for us in Brampton. FOR REALS!! Our car had gone over 80,000 kilometers, which is when they switch it out and sell the old one. So we took it to Brampton and got ourselves a Rogue Nissan SUV!!!! Her name is Sylvia. I decided that it's my year mark, they want me to start training to be a father. So they gave me a SUV. :) Makes sense. Later that day, we celebrated at an Italian Restaurant we've been wanting to go to called Goodfellas. The food was quite delicious (and expensive). But it was such a classy place and it was cool being able to order in Italian (because it's VERY similar to Spanish), communicate in Italian with our waiter, AND communicate with another Waitress we had who spoke Portuguese (from Brazil). I LOVE CULTURE!!! It's so good here. The rest of the day was average. ;)
Last Saturday we went with a member to an Ice Cream/Waffle place...again. Which is super delicious. While we were there, there was a family sitting behind me speaking Spanish. Before we left I started talking to them and they told me they're from Bogota, Colombia!!! It was super cool. The mother told me I spoke Spanish very well. Oh yeah. We weren't able to get their information, but we gave them a card and they'll probably be baptized sometime soon. ;)
Sunday was of course wonderful. There's this homeless man named Dennis, from Trinidad and Tobago. That came to church for his second time. We started talking with him and he told us that he's never been baptized before, and he wants to be baptized in our church because he feels the Spirit here!!! So Sweet!!! He's a really great guy. We just need to get him off smoking and alcohol. Not a Problem!!
Yesterday, we celebrated Civic Day here in Canada. I have no idea what that is, but we celebrated it. :) We did a lot of service and work for some members, then we taught this Spanish/Colombian family that we've been trying to teach ever since I've been here. They're a Stellar family, the father just has read a lot of Anti stuff, and is really skeptical about people that have been raised their whole lives in the church. That's why we have members!!! Later that day, Jeroe's family (the Fotines) invited us over for a barbecue. It was super good and we had a really good conversation with Jeroe. His dad, who is a member, just blurted out at the dinner table. "Jeroe, when are you going to get baptized?? Stop waiting." It was SO good. It's funny too because he keeps saying, no one's pressuring you, but he totally is. We later talked about listening during your prayers for the Holy Ghost, which is going to help him out a lot, and we committed him to asking if he should be baptized a week from this Saturday. We'll follow up with that and I hope that everything goes well!!
One thing I've been working on lately, just like Jeroe, is listening for the Spirit after my prayers. A few weeks ago, a missionary came to our ward and he said something that I really liked. He said that after every personal prayer he has, he listens for a few minutes, just in case God has something to say to him. I've started doing that lately, and I've found that God has a lot to say to me. At least a lot more than I expected. Those few minutes after you end your prayers are very sacred and I can honestly testify that I know that the Holy Ghost really does testify to your heart and to your mind (D&C 8:2). I challenge you all to listen after you pray, because Heavenly Father has many things he wants to say to you. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week. Ciao!!

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Elder Flint
Canada Toronto Mission