Letter to Brady

Dear Craft Family,

     Es freut mich dass Brady zu Deutshland im April gehen!!  Ich hoffe er kannt Elder Chambers sehen order habt ihm   fuer seiner mitarbeiter!!!  (Don't try and put that in Google Translator or something because it will probably come out with something way different that what I meant to say in my broken 5 year old German haha).  Man Brady that is so awesome!!  I am so super pumped for you!  From what I hear, because you're right everyone and their mother knows someone that served a mission somewhere in Germany, it's going to be legit!  The ward mission leader in the Eden Prairie ward served there along with 4-5 other members of the ward.  I've known at least one person in every area that has served there.  President Clements was in Switzerland but it's basically the same sort of area haha.  I'll bet the Chambers were way pumped.  I told Elder Mead at transfers Wednesday that you should have gotten your call that day, so he'll be excited to hear it too.  I'm way excited for you to learn how to speak and then help tutor me while I try to continue to learn it.  My guess was way off though for somewhere in South America.  haha When you talk  to Herr Jackson tell him I said Hi.  Wouldn't it be crazy if Elder Chambers got to train you or was your Zone Leader?  That'd be so cool.  April 4th's going to come up quick!  You can get your passport picture at the Post Office in Ogden just by the Newgate Mall.  That's where I got mine.  I'm telling you right now read the scriptures, study your Preach My Gospel, and learn the Doctrines of the Gospel while you can because you are not going to have the time or means to be able to do that in the MTC trying to learn a foreign language in 9 weeks.  You might want to start drinking carbonated water too cause that's all the people give you for water over there.  haha That's one of the first things Elder Chambers told me in the MTC when I saw him drinking it is that he had to try and get used to it.  It really isn't that bad though.  I'm just pumped for all the experiences and joy that you're going to get.  Not only out of just going to Germany, but going to teach the Gospel to all our brothers and sisters there.  It's going to be one of the most joyful experiences of your life, and the most difficult.  Just remember that because it's not going to be easy but it's going to be worth it.  I can promise you that.

     I guess I should have just started that off Dear Brady and Craft Family haha.  This week for me was awesome!  It flew by!  We were really busy getting all the things taken care of for transfers and then actually doing the transfers themselves.  Picking up the new missionaries was a lot of fun.  Elder Lo, President and Sister Clements, and me all went to the airport to get them and then to the U of M campus (known as Dinkytown) near downtown Minneapolis to do some street contacting.  Elder Frasure went with me from Pocatello, ID and loved it.  We had a great time together.  We got some food, took some pictures to send to their families, and did the training meetings we had to before the day was over.  There were only 3 missionaries that came this transfer so nothing too crazy at all.  Two of them, Elder Frasure and Elder Ouimette, had to spend the night with us at our apartment so we could take them to the Greyhound station in the morning because they got transferred up to Thunder Bay Canada to be trained.  We haven't gone up there yet Mom.  The closest we'll get is to Duluth for their Zone Conference in a couple of weeks.  Unless President asks us to we don't really have a reason to head up there.  Next transfer might not be as quiet.  We're expected to get 17 new missionaries, so that should be a lot of fun.  I'm working hard trying to learn all the ins and outs of who's where serving with who and everything else I need to know about the mission.  It's a ton of fun and we're working hard to meet with our investigators as well.  Many of them weren't able to meet with us this week, but we get to spend a lot of time proselyting this week and are confident we should be able to teach many of them.

     This last Saturday was J.'s baptism out in Eden Prairie.  He's the 16 year old I was working with out there and he is so awesome!  I didn't get to go because it was too far away, but I called him and talked to him Saturday before it all went down and he was super excited.  President Clements went out for the baptism and said it was a great service with a lot of people there to support him.  When I talked to J. I told him I might not be able to be there for the baptism, but I look forward to hearing about when he gets the priesthood, when he goes through the temple and is sealed to his Dad and Sister, when he gets his mission call, and all the other things throughout his life.  I'm so excited for that guy and the great things he's going to continue to do throughout his life.  It's so amazing to me the people I am blessed with being able to work with and grow to love while I'm here in Minnesota.  Having the opportunity to watch people change their lives and see the spirit work within them like it did with J. is something I couldn't or wouldn't experience anywhere else.  Like I had mentioned to Brady it's one of the hardest things I have ever done but also the most rewarding.  The Lord knows and expects our sacrifice, but in return he gives us more than we could ever work for.

     Well sorry there's not much more to report on from here.  I'm glad my package and my brick made it safe and sound haha.  I did get my new card thanks Mom.  It sounds like I pretty good exciting week for you.  I'm glad to hear all is well and hope to talk to you all again soon.  I love you and appreciate all that you do for me!  Auf Wiedersehen!

Love,  Elder Craft