Life, life is good!

Dear Family and Friends,

Things have been pretty crazy here in California.  This past week has been an absolute blur!  I can't believe how fast this week has seemed to slip away from me.  I am grateful that it has gone fast, but it is a little scary to think that I have now been here in Antelope for two whole months!  Not only that transfers are coming up again pretty fast, this is week four allready!  I don't want it to go too fast because I love my time out here serving the Lord.  It will be interesting for me this transfers to see my companion go home.  Especially because he will spend his last night with me here!  It will be pretty odd.  I am really excited for him, but it makes me think about going home a little bit too much, I still have four more transfers to finish strong with after he leaves, so I will keep my head in the game and work hard.  

I have had a bit of a struggle week.  I love Elder Grover, but he has some quirks that drive me crazy, and this week they seemed to be  very prevelant in our lives.  Multiple times we had talks and at the end of them we both walked away frustrated, but all is worked out now, and things are good.  This past week I got my first taste of the Spanish life.  I went on exchanges with our Spanish District Leader Elder Correa.  He is a good kid.  He has only been out for three months and he has a great fire for this work.  It was a cool time for me, and the dinner we ate was awesome, they were like these carne esada hamburgers, with melted cheese and all of the good stuff.  Isaac will be very jealous of them.  It was cool to have a taste of his mission out here.  Elder Grover and I also had Elder Barney with us one day this week.  Elder Barney is a missionary that has some physical handicaps, he still wanted to serve a mission so he was called to a unique one.  He goes out with the missionaries around the south of the mission every day.  His home is in Lincoln, so he lives with his family who take him around to different companionships to allow him to sere the Lord.  He has such a strong testimony, and he is a hoot to be around.  We also were able to pick up an New Investigator from tracting this week.  Her name is Porsha.  She is a young mother, and was willing to accept a copy of the Book of Mormon, and a return appointment for the next day.  When we went back we had a nice lesson on her front lawn and talked about the Book, and how it testifies of Jesus Christ.  It was a great expirience.  We also have a couple named Gary and Kay we are hoping to pick up this week sometime.  We helped them two weeks ago to paint their new house, and last week to move in.  They are looking for a new church because they don't like theirs.  They are older and are both in power chairs, so it is going to be awesome.  Gary weighs over 400 pounds so he will a beast to baptize, but we can handle it!  Life is good.  I am looking forward to another great week, it will be busy!  We have zone conference on Wednesday, then Zone Leader Council on Friday, as well as we need to do our transfer inputs on friday as well.  We will be running around like crazy, but I like it that way!

I am grateful for my mission, I am so grateful for the lessons I have learned during the course of my service.  I have grown so much.  Something that I am working on personally right now is changing the reason I do things.  I am trying to be an obedient missionary, but I don't know if it is for the right reason.  I want to be obedient from now on because I love my Father in Heaven, and my family, current and future.  I want to work hard because I love my neighbor, and want them to expirience greater joy in their life.  I try to do the right things, but what is the motivation behind my actions?  I want to purify my heart and do it for the Lord, and not for anything else.  I love you guys and thanks a bunch for all that you do!  

Almost forgot, Elder Grover and I also gave talks in the Singles Ward on Sunday, once again I was missing Mom and Dad because they need to write those for me.  Don't worry though my homecoming talk will be another chance for you guys to serve me by writing it for me!  haha

With Love,

Elder Ellsworth