Don't Waste a Moment

Hello there everybody!

What's up? How is everyone doing! I miss and love you all a ton! You are in my prayers! I think of you often.

So yeah the weather here has been really nice! I love it! I hope to start going running here soon! The only thing is I am terrified as to what summer is going to look like! I don't even want to think about it!  

So sad news, Chris dropped her baptismal date.. She needs to come to church a couple more times. It was more bad planning on our part. Her Dad just got a job so we are going to have to find a way to get her to the Chapel! So that will be a challenge, but gives us something to work with so I am happy :) She will for sure be baptized but we will have to see when! It will hopefully be sometime soon!

 I miss home just as all of you miss me (at least I hope you all do, or else I am just talking out of my butt right now) :P But yeah I am good! You all have no need to worry! :) I am doing great! Staying busy and helping other people out gives me plenty of other things to keep my mind on, and it really does just bring peace to my soul,that I am doing what I am doing, and that I am where I am.

So yeah politics I know nothing about them, so I am just going to skip that part of your email lol! Only one question, how am I going to vote from out here when November rolls around?

So it sounds like Todd is living it up in Hockey! Keep him active like that , he will love you and Dad for it later! I know I do! Sounds like he is doing good though. I can't wait to go to one of his games. That will be fun when I have the oppurtunity to watch my little bro play again. How is he doing with everything else? School, life, friends, Church? Let me know. I need to write him again soon.

That is one thing I have found my self really bad at is writing letters. I just feel like it takes so much time! haha. But that is something I am trying to improve on. Do you know if Tyler Nash and Brother Lenahan ever got my letters?/

So how is the Ward doing? I miss everyone a lot! I was thinking about the Gonthiers a lot for some reason this week and if you could just let them know I miss them and love them that would be awesome! Also how is Amiee Jewkes doing? And the Russo's? I hope all is well with them! I miss everybody so much!

I think I have found that besides the people, and experiences with people, one of the things I miss the most is Music.. ah... I just heard some Eminem the other day on the street and it just make me think back to hanging out with Mckean right before my mission lol! Good times! I never ever hear country music playing on the street here lol! It stinks! I think I have heard it like 1 or 2 times my whole mission!

Well Blues sound like they are doing good! I wish I could go to a game! What if they played the Rangers in the Stanley cup?? Ah.. That would be awesome, but stink so bad! I would want to go! haha... Probably would not have money though... Nor would I.

Well sounds like Tre' is having a crazy time... I thought this place was insane lol! It sounds like the crazy things I have seen are next to nothing compared to his experiences.. Let's just say I am proud to be an American.

Well not too much else going on. We found 2 news yesterday! Both from people we had tracted into. One is an 18 year old kid named Edwin! He was really cool! He told us that he felt somthing as we were talking to him! It is so neat to see the spirt work through you! ah.. It was there really strong. He is really cool. He skateboards, so Elder Wilkey was able to relate with him pretty well. And also we started teaching a lady named Anasoli. She was really nice. She is in her 30s. We just taught her in her doorway but we are going back again tomorrow and we are going to teach  her  the restoration. From the little bit of time we have already spent with her, she just has a sweet heart and is trying to do what is right in her life. She was really really cool.

And also we are teaching a woman nambed Maritza.. She is an interesting lady. She was investigating the Church like 25 years ago.. She walked into the Baptismal font to be baptized and then left as she entered the water. The majority of her family are members, and it was by a miracle her son had with missionaries that she came to us and started asking questions again. But she has so many questions, SO MANY! Every peice of doctrine we have she has tried to disprove it with an appeal to the Bible and she can't... She keeps asking us questions and we continue to answer them, but she refuses to see reason... She does not have faith. She admits it herself.. She does not even really know if there is a God, but she wants there to be one. I also think she really does know she is there and that the Church is true, she is just refussing to accept it.. We have been teaching her for like 2 months now. And I was just thinking the other day, it is obvious what we are doing wrong.. We are answering all of her questions for her.. I think it's time we let her find some out by herself. She needs to read the Book of Mormon, and she needs to understand that all of her questions have already been answered and not by us, but by the spirit.. She feels it.. Now we just need to make sure that she knows that that is what she is feeling. It does all the talking for us.. and I think that has been our problem with teaching her, is that we are not letting her know that she has felt the spirit and it has told her. Because I know without a doubt she has felt it! And what a great feeling it is! It is something I desire for all people to feel! It really is life changing and it really is the Power of God! And He loves us.. He really does. I have felt that over and over again.. I felt it the other day when I was studying about the Restoration... I just started crying. It just touched me so much.. Joseph Smith really is a prophet of God.. And not because I blindly believe that.. I believe that because God Himself has told me so. This really is Christ's Church and I know he lives. He lives and I see his hand in my life each day. Miracles have not ceased and neither have visions. Revelation is a real thing... I firmly believe that . I know it's true.. I just know it and I cannot deny it. Too many things have happened in my life that tell me so. My life really has changed.. I don't thnk I really have all too much.. Maybe just an improved version of who I was before.. But my life has definitely changed.. The way I view my life and the way I view other people.. They are worth everything. So don't waste a day of yours. Get on track and do what you've got to do now, and don't waste a moment of it.

Well I better let you guys get going! I miss and care for you all so much! Wish I could give each one of you a giant hug! :) But I can't but you can expect one a year from now! Take care everybody! I love you all so much!

Love, Mark!  :)