the one with my first time at the new ward!

this week was a good week! we've been trying to really use the members here. there's a lot of active members, but there are many who are lazy and hate that more than anything! just do stuff! but I'm going to do everything I can to inspire them to do missionary work! we have one Recent Convert who has real fire! he's from arkansas and loves to "get people wet!" he does more missionary work than anyone I've ever met! He may lack teaching skill and finesse while he teaches, but he prays for opportunities to share the gospel then is fearless to take them! I wish everyone was as willing and as in-tune as he is! a few more like him and we'd have a temple in the Rio Grande Valley in no time at all!

my new companion is great! my district is great! I'm working to inspire them, to have faith to find! God will not put people in our path if we have fear, fear is something that I want my missionaries to put on the altar of sacrifice! After the first vision the first thing Joseph Smith told his mother was "I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true" I hope they grow that courage to testify of the truths they know with the same confidence. this may not sound like much, but Jospeh's mother was a Presbyterian, that's all she knew.. but his love for her and faith was great enough to be bold. "bold but not overbearing". The work is going forward, I've been learning faster and faster, which is good, because this mission is going so fast! I feel like I'm on the down hill side of a roller coaster!

my district is getting sick! I hope I stay healthy! I've never had to stay home a day yet, and I don't want to start now! I'm excited for thanksgiving coming up! I get more homesick for thanksgiving than christmas! It's weird, but I'm glad we have a big ward, we already have 2 meal appointments and I'm expecting many more people to want to feed us next thursday!

I got a back pack that's super nice while we were doing service the other day, as well as some belts, the guy was trying to get rid of his stuff and we had the same size belt! milagros! Three-day training starts today! I'm excited to learn how to be a better leader! my next letter will be full of stuff about that!

-Love you all lots!

Elder Duerst!

p.s. Elder torres is from guanajuato (he just had to spell that for me! everyone here says there's a lot of mummy's there!) is conversion story and how he got to the mission is incredible!