sammission: What an amazing week

Hey guys! Thank you so much for the emails that you have sent me. It was a joy reading them! It is so nice to hear about the things happening at home. The weather has been going wonderful. I am loving how perfect it is. What a great week to be a missionary in the Utah Ogden mission!!!!

So BIG NEWS!! I have been called to be a DISTRICT LEADER! I'm staying in Clinton West while my current companion, Elder Kelley, is going to Brigham City to serve as a ZONE LEADER for the Brigham North Zone! The Brigham North Zone is my old zone! How crazy is that! haha.

I will be greenie busting. A greenie is someone who is being trained. After a missionary has been trained for three months, he gets a new companion. That new companion is a greenie buster. A greenie buster breaks out the greenie part of a missionary and makes him a regular missionary. My new companion is Elder Simbeck and he has been out for only 3 months! So I will be greenie busting! And the craziest thing is that my district will consist of 3 elders (including my comp. and ELDER ZARSE!!!! He was my first companion in the field. Also two elders, including Elder Zarse, are from Germany. How crazy is that?!) and 4 sisters! This will be a very interesting transfer. haha. I am very excited to be able to serve as a District Leader but I am really nervous as well. I want to do a really good job. Guess what, the other DL in my zone and I, we live in the same apartment now. How crazy is that?! And we both are first time DLs. It will be a blast! :D

Anyways, the work in the Clinton West stake is going super well! Elder Kelley and I have been working super hard and we have been seeing results! :D

Heather Butler is doing SO well. She is reading the Book of Mormon and she really wants to be baptized. We taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she said, "My husband is a less active but if I get baptized and still have faith in God, then my husband will too. It will be good.". It was so amazing hearing that from her. She is still on for the 17th! :)

The Cefalos are an amazing family! They are incredible! We got to teach them the Plan of Salvation last week and wow, they were amazing. Gage and Ethan are doing so good. They are understanding everything and it will be amazing! They are still on for the 24th!

Also, a really funny story!! Last Sunday, a hour before dinner (we usually have dinner at 5pm so this is at 4pm), we realized that we have a dinner appointment and the Cefalo (who is from ALABAMA!) family is feeding us a full Southern breakfast for dinner at 7pm. Elder Kelley and I were freaking out. We had no idea what to do because here in Clinton, the members feed the missionaries so much food. Before we went to dinner appointment, we made a plan. That was to eat the food and then go to the nearby church and throw up all of the food in the toilet then go to the Cefalo's for another meal! That worked out quite well. Elder Kelley was barfing so much after the dinner appointment. After the experience, he told me that he has a super sensitive stomach so he can throw up easily if he wants to. I didn't throw up BUT I was able to eat the entire Southern meal and it was amazing. Who knew Southern food is amazing?!

Elder Kelley and I are also teaching this less active woman named Shauna King and she struggles with smoking. She really wants to go to church and become active again but smoking is what's holding her back. I am planning on going over tomorrow and teach the Stop Smoking program to her with Elder Simbeck. Shauna is doing really well. We followed up on her Book of Mormon reading and she is doing well! It's amazing!

Elder Kelley and I have found a new family to teach. The parents are nonmembers and the father just returned from a tour in Korea. They have a couple kids but they are not old enough to be baptized. Elder Simbeck and I are going to start teaching them and hopefully, baptize the parents and get them sealed in the temple! :) Also, Elder Kelley and I have found this nonmember man named Jared Humphries. He has a LA wife. Elder Simbeck and I are also going to start teaching them.

Elder Simbeck and I will be inviting the Wolfmeyers (the nonmember family) and Jared Humphries to be baptized in the end of May or beginning of June! Things are exploding here in Clinton and I'm loving it!

Elder Kelley is an amazing missionary and I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve with him for the past three months. He has helped me grow so much and become a lot more confident missionary. He has taught me so much and I can't wait to teach Elder Simbeck everything that Elder Kelley has taught me. Elder Kelley is my favorite companion and I am so happy for his new calling as a Zone Leader.

Thank you guys for everything you have done for me. I really appreciate all of the letters and emails. I love you all. Love, Elder McGrath