TRANSFERRED TO CHINA

Well, Family, I'm being transferred to China. With Tai Shan! Ok, not. I'm staying here! (NOTE:  for those of you living outside of the Washington DC area, Tai Shan is our beloved panda at the National Zoo, that has to go back to China this week) Hilarious, after 3 weeks of Elder Preciado telling the entire branch he is leaving, we are staying together! First time I've stayed with a companion since my second transfer - 7 companions so far. I'm so glad to stay in Layton. I love Layton. It's an amazing place. We've been kicked out of a few apartments and trailers while knocking doors, but whatever, the members are incredible, and our investigators are so solid right now. Carla is the coolest lady ever, we found her tracting.  She is the one that said,  "So many people knock this door - how do I know which is right?" Working two jobs all week, but is firm in going to Church, getting baptized, living every commandment we teach her about, and her children just told us that they too want to be baptized. Sweet. Met another girl yesterday de El Salvador, and she said she listened in her home country, and felt the same feeling. Never had had it before. We have set a date for her baptism for the 27th. Amazing.


BUT with transfers comes craziness. I've been a District Leader for 3 transfers now. Still am, but now... in the past there have been 2 separate programs, the Spanish and English programs. There are no separate programs strarting tomorrow. I will be teaching in Spanish, but will be over about 10 English Elders in my district, and doing some English exchanges. WEIRD. Our Zone Leaders are now English, whereas before all our leaders were Spanish speaking too. Sorry, no relevance to all of you, but weird for us. Some Spanish elders now are speaking in bilingual areas. It's the Lord's will. I think there was sometimes a little tension between the two camps before, Spanish speaking elders trying to outdo the English, etc. This will help unify us as a mission.  Hopefully Elder Preciado won't kill me. Hehehehe. No, we've done well this transfer. Best transfer of my mission, even though its the first I didn't see anyone baptized. We've grown a lot. Jeffrey, about smacking you for chewing gum weird while we were growing up, pardon. That was stupid. I'm a LOT more patient now. Still working on it. And Elder Preciado this transfer has said the same, best transfer, we've come closer to the Lord, overcome differences and seen miracles. Another transfer will just be better...

Did you all watch the church Be Strong thing for the Youth for New Years? Watched it in Church, interesting, a call for the youth to overcome the adversary and be firm in choosing the right all across the world... and yes, Mom, we can read magazines de la Church, but I get em in Spanish, and they cut out some articles (New Era and "Amigos" are included in the same magazine, called the Liahona) So feel free to send that article you mentioned.

Aren't the snowflakes cool? We've seen that a few times here, when you can see the individual flakes with the designs.  I love it. Whats with the snow in Virginia? Here its not AS snowy... strange...

Sorry about Ramone.

JEFFREY, DONT BE STUPID, CHANGE YOUR CONTACT SOLUTION, SHEESH, ITS FOR CLEANING.

Heidi, amazing.

We will pray for all, The Lord will watch over everyone. There are hard things fora reason. Rose and Cardon families in the prayers for sure.

I shall send pictures bien pronto (soon). I'm trying to narrate em. But I gotta practice kalimba too ya know (I can play a number of hymns and "I like to look for rainbows" (with chords!) Fun stuff.)

Well, family, I love you all. Lately I have found myself thinking more about family and things, and miss you all, but not in a distracting way. I've really come to learn many things this transfer and past year. I've learned the meaning of faith, then put it in action. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God lives. That Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That faith is necessary before miracles, healing, forgiveness, blessings. That the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is rejected by many, but the Holy Ghost, the Spirit, testifies of Joseph Smith as a profeta, of the Church's authority, and of this missionary work. All must come unto Christ by faith, repentance and baptism. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know this because i have lived it. I've felt increasing love for others, and for the Lord, and for this message. It's the most important thing. All can know that. Its so sweet to see someone open their heart and feel it. Carla Garcia's face has literally changed in the past 3 weeks - more happy, more faith filled, she is living the things we teach and seeing blessings. We all can. Always read the scriptures and pray, and always always go to church (Dad, how have you ever managed to avoid working on Sunday? I'm understanding how significant it is that so many men show up every week and have been firm in job choices and explaining to others that they need to go to church. It's not necessarily an option in every job.)

Love you all, be safe, and be good,

Elder Chris Thelin

Ps. Congrats and luck to Katharine!

PPs. If you happen to ever run into Kimmy again, tell her I wrote in Dec but dont know if she got the letter... I'm getting better, trying to write 2-3 people a week, including converts, family, friends, etc...working on it.

PPS. 2000 converts in the Utah Ogden mission in 2009 (record here!) and 218 in January!! (109 of which occurred in this past weekend!!!!) This is a baptizing mission! And people say Utah is already full of Mormons!  Hah!