Free Range Turkey (Nov 30)

Hello Everybody,
So Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas has begun! Christmas, for all who are poor and uninformed, is a holiday that begins the day after thanksgiving and goes all the way till the 25th.

For Christmas, we were surprisingly not invited to anybody's home in our branch. We had thanksgiving out in Vermillion with their Branch Mission Leader who invited us over at FHE when he found out we had no plans for the holiday, which was very nice of him and his wife. We also came with our Branch Mission Leader and a member of our branch so it's not like we deserted our branch completely or anything. It was a fun time and felt like home. We had hors devours or however it's spelled (doesn't matter how it's spelled in that language, it's going to be pronounced differently anyway) which consisted of a cheeseball, veggies, chips, dip, and a sort of monkeybread that had garlic instead of cinnamon. Basically like home except for the monkeybread. And then we had dinner a little while later and then dessert even later. It was awesome and fun. My comp seriously seems like a Fawcett, which is great. There're things I don't quite agree with that he does, but for the most part is just real and will say what he thinks, which is hilarious and makes me feel so much better cause it's what I was thinking as well, so I don't feel as bad and can just voice my own opinions as well. Anyway, Thanksgiving was great, about the dinner, that is. We made the mistake of tracting that morning. A bunch of being waved away and once flipped off. Oh how delightful. Finally, when somebody did answer the door and we could start saying something to him, he told us he already had a church (a common response). Elder McConnel, somewhat fed up with the rude rejections we had received, just happily replied with "Oh that's great! We're just out wishing people a happy thanksgiving today. Is there anythign we could help you out with?" The man, looking slightly dumbfounded, declined the offer for service.

This week has also been District Leader Council, which meant, that's right, another trip to Sioux City! Woot! So yeah, while the district leaders were in there I took a couple brand new greenies tracting. Which was great because I got to drive (it was one of the few times I'll be considered a senior companion for awhile) and because it was hilarious. We tracted an apartment complex that had one of those old, rickety, horror film elevators with doors you have to pry open for yourself. It was great watching them tracting. One talked so fast in one continual sentence the poor people at the door had no chance to respond except with "Hi...Well...Um...Yeah...I'm not interested." And the other stood on the doorstep looking like he was somebody from the military to deliver the news of a death in person. I also tried to hotwire a doorbell, which is always fun, by pinching the two wires together that stick out of the hole where the doorbell should be. Well, they weren't wires...they were a spider's legs. It was kind of creepy.

The weather is getting colder, that's for sure. Still no real snow, but that's ok as far as I'm concerned. It should be coming soon, and with the way it's been delayed, it'll probably be big. Woot.

Our investigator wants his date moved back, which is probably better because we have a lot to teach him still. He's still pretty awesome but still doesn't recognize he's gotten and answer. Most of our time right now is taken up by finding investigators and visiting Less actives. It's hard work but it's going well. We're working hard. I hope that the fact that I spent just a very little bit talking about the work you don't think I'm being lazy out here, it's just not very interesting to talk about for the most part.

I know this work to be true and exactly where I should be. And while the work is tough, I know there's a reason I'm here.

Love,
Elder Gates