Well, for starters, Thanksgiving weekend was awesome! We went over to the Knibbe's house for dinner on Thursday. They are such cool people. Sister Knibbe is all over the place and loves to talk, so the energy was really fun! They have one son living with them who is a junior. He starts at right guard and defensive tackle on Ridgefield High School's varsity team. So, we had plenty to talk about since those were basically the exact same positions I played in high school. We also watched some of his highlights from this season, so that was fun. Having the opportunity to play high school football is something that I think really shaped me into who I am today. It taught me many things about myself and many lessons were learned through that. One of them is to work hard, which is a very useful attribute for anyone that does anything. It's especially helpful in missionary work, because if you don't have the drive to keep pushing forward and working hard, you won't last for two years' worth of sixteen hours days. Another thing that it taught me is something that is very helpful for me with where I am right now. That is to rely on other people and let others help you. That aspect of humility can help so much in so many ways. As you all know, I am training Elder Savage right now. That comes with a lot of stresses, especially for someone as new as I am. I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility on my shoulders 24/7. But, knowing what I know about turning to others for help has really saved me and gotten me through some of the hardest points in the last three weeks. The organization of the mission provides us with leaders to turn to for help. I have a district leader that I live with named Elder Plouzek, and two zone leaders in the Spanish program, Elder Killpack and Pawlowski. I have had so many good talks with all of them. They have done so much to make me feel encouraged and loved. It's been really nice to have some more experienced missionaries to turn to for advice. I think the biggest thing that they've helped me with is to make me feel like I am doing a good job. The last thing I want to do is let anybody down or disappoint people, so with this responsibility, I have worried a lot about if I am doing that. So many times, these guys have told me what a good missionary I am and how much good I am doing. That means the world to me! It gives me confidence that I need to succeed in this call that the Lord had entrusted me with. In Alma 37:6-7, we learn that "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass". Their small amount of effort in putting an arm around my shoulder and offering a simple phrase of encouragement goes a long way to help. So, I'm beyond grateful for that! Things are going well with our investigators. D. will be getting baptized on the 14th of December. We might change the date to the 15th, since it will be the one year anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy that happened here. The 14th will probably be a somber day and might not be the best day to have his baptism. Anyway, the point is that he is ready! We've taught him everything that we need to and we feel that he is ready to do this! What a blessing! Plus K. is still looking forward to January 4th being her date of baptism. She's been on fire lately! She even posts on facebook for all of her friends to see the good decisions she is making. So cool! My birthday was amazing. We went over to the Arend's and they worked so hard to make it special for me. Sister Arend cooked enchiladas and german chocolate cake, just like at home! She is seriously an angel. She has a son on a mission in Kansas, so she knows what it is like for the parents and families of us missionaries. She does an amazing job of taking care of us. If you're not already friends with her on facebook you should be, because she posts picture of me all the time. I really hope you will all get the chance to meet that family one day. They truly are one of the greatest blessings that I have seen on my mission. Well, that's about it for me. Thank you everyone for all that you do. I still get more packages than any other missionary that I know! Haha, Elder Allred's family is getting a reputation around here for the coolest one, so thank you! I know I'm a little slow at responding sometimes, but don't think that I don't think about you all each and every day. I appreciate you all and love you all more than words can express. Happy holidays everyone. I can't imagine the miracles that we will all see this year as the Christmas season is upon us. I love you and have a wonderful week!
~Elder Allred
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