Hello Everybody!

Christmas! Is just around the corner. That is my little joke for Sydney! I am sorry I did not email this past week. We went to the Temple on Wednesday and then that evening we were in charge of helping with the traffic control at the Temple. The lights up at the Temple are great and it was even better to do a session. It had been 13 months since I had last been. I saw one of the newer videos and I thought it was great! Once you have not been in so long, it makes you realize just how great it really is and just how strong the spirit is there.

Also, on Tuesday, I went on a sweet exchange with a missionary who is from the Rexburg area. He has been out for about 6 months and is an amazing missionary. It was way fun to be on a bike for the day and to get out and work hard. He had so much enthusiasm and I really needed that. I have been so exhausted lately and it was good to see how much fun missionary work really is.

On Thursday, we had Interviews with President Riggs and we had the oppurtunity to interview everyone in the zone as well. Every Interview is 15 minutes and we were at the church at 7am to set up and we left at about 5pm. It sure was a long day but it was a blast. We talked about how we can know when we are being successful and used page 10 of Preach My gospel to help us. For lunch, President took us out to eat and it was fun having a conversation about life and Christmas traditions because he is always so focused on the work. He is amazing!

A couple Investigators are doing really well right now. Salyu Jallah is on date for the end of January and he is wicked smart. The only thing that is holding him back is coming to church. He recently got a job and he is working with his Manager to make sure he has Sundays off. He is confident that it all will work out. The Fadika family is still progressing well and we want to set a date with them for the beginning of February. It is the Mom and her 2 kids that want to be baptized and they have all come to church 3 times now. Those are the two people who are getting very close towards baptism and it is exciting.

I am excited for Christmas. I hope you enjoy your Holiday and have fun as well. We have some fun plans and I am excited to call home.  I think this time we can make the Skype work! Love you all.

Merry Christmas,
Elder Westover

Hey Everybody,

It is so amazing to see Kayla home! Time flies so fast. I always said
when Kayla got home that I would be close behind her. In some
ways I feel that is right and in other ways I feel like that is completely wrong. It's my hope
that I can be a new person and that I can continue to change. It is
probably easier for a 18 year old, immature, kid to do that then
someone like Kayla! I can't wait to share stories with her.

Lots of meetings this week. We had a specialized training with our
mission president and assistants and then our MLC meeting on Friday.
We have talked a lot about power vs. Form.
For example, when Joseph Smith had the vision of God the Father and
His son Jesus Christ, he was told to join none of the churches. Then
he said, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a
form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof. As a mission, we
want powerful missionaries, not just missionaries who have a "form".
It is an interesting principle.

Yesterday at fast and testimony meeting, we had a family come for
their 2nd week in a row. The mothers name is Fatmata and she had been
very against the church until we came and started meeting with them.
Half way through, she stood up and bore her testimony about her belief
in Jesus Christ. She said that she changed when we came to her house
and she wants to know that this is true. It was awesome. We want to
set a date for Baptism with her and her 2 kids who are over the age of
8! We are stoked. Her sister is a member of the ward and a ward
missionary. She calls us miracle workers!

The Gospel is true. It will bring us more happiness than anything else
we can do. I love being a missionary. I love you and miss you. Enjoy
this holiday season!

Love,
Elder Westover

Hey Family and Friends,

Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are approaching the Christmas season. I just can not believe how fast everything seems to be moving. As I went through the week, I really took some time to think about all the things that I am grateful for. I realized just how blessed I am and how much I have been given. My life has been good and I have been given so many opportunities to learn and grow. I know that God watches over us and gives us experiences to help us grow and become better. I am sure thankful for that.

Now here is a funny story which will help show why I am grateful for my families Thanksgiving traditions. Elder Taylor and I had been trying to find somewhere to go for Thanksgiving and then finally on Tuesday, a member of the ward called and asked if we wanted to come over. We were happy to accept! They are not active in the church by the way! While on the phone, she asked where we are from and when I told her Arizona she was so excited. She went on and on about ASU and UofA football and how the Cardinals were doing and naturally, I loved the conversation. When we got off the phone, I thought that was going to be a crazy Thanksgiving and there were no let downs. We got there around 4 and when we got invited in, the apartment really stunk and I was wondering what happened! It just smelled like cigarettes and cat pee!! Ahhhhh! I was thinking, where are we?! Now here is the crazy part. We walked in and when I saw the food, I almost died laughing. There was a thousand flies just hovering around all the food. Now I am thinking, "Uh oh what are we going to do?!" We sit down on this couch and they asked if we were afraid of cats and we told them no. She said, "Oh good cause there is one behind you." I turn and there is a black cat sitting there and it freaked me out! The cats just climbed all over us and kept jumping in our laps. We finally got ready to eat and I made sure to pray extra hard for the food and we started to eat. I have not got sick yet so that was a bonus. Then the 18 year old son just talked and talked and talked for about 2 hours and then we finally cut in and said we had to go. Not to mention, I won't even tell you the cats names! That is a story on its own. It was an insane night but I will never forget the experience and so I am thankful for good memories!

It was fun to see all the pictures of everyone enjoying the time together. I laughed at all the Polar Pops that everyone had! Good times. 

Dad, do you know what ward Sister Ogden's son is in? There is a kid that just came here who is from Peoria but he is a newer missionary. We have some other guys from Arizona but it could be me I guess. I'm not sure why you would ever talk about your Zone Leaders to members but, that is pretty funny! Bocce Ball would be a sweet activity if we could find the equipment from members. We are trying to get an ultimate Frisbee game set up now for today.

Life sounds like a ton of fun in Arizona. Keep enjoying it because I am having way more fun out here! You're the ones missing out. We have a busy week coming up so I can tell you more about that later. Love you everybody! Have a great week and be safe!

Love,

Elder Westover