Elder Jaren Bryner A LDS Missionary Down Under in Adelaide Australia: Christmas spirit is pretty high

Email #44
Area: Grange area of the Firle Zone
Companion: Elder Touti

Excerpts from Mom's email:

Hey Mom!

This week was really good! We got off to a really good start with our district P-day! It was probably one of best that we have had! We went to semaphore beach and played sport and had a BBQ and was such a fun time! I really like my district at the moment and my area as well. With transfers coming up soon I am getting nervous again. It is so weird with the mixed feelings I get when it comes to transfers. It seems every transfer there is something holding me here that I don't want to miss, like this time around is Christmas! I really want to be here for Christmas now, because if I go to some random area I won't know anyone where as here I know everyone and their dog haha. Not sure how it will go...

I have been able to play piano a little bit yeah. I will have to get one of the sisters to send you this video and pics they have its pretty crack up. We are preparing for the skits today and practicing with the zone and then on Friday for zone conference we are recording them. Not really sure what we are doing yet, but the sisters ideas are pretty funny. The Christmas party looked pretty dang good! Was it a good turn out?

The Christmas spirit is pretty high here especially with the members! We are getting fed all the time for it haha, so that is good (and bad since I'm gaining weight I'm sure). We went over to the Gabeharts house and even made gingerbread houses, so that was really cool, I haven't actually made one myself for a long time. I have noticed a lot this week the relationship that we have with the members at this point. A lot of them are genuinely nervous that I will be transferred which is really weird because I didn't know I had that good of a relationship with them. Guess I just have been here so long that I am almost part of the ward at this point lol. Sister Collins has been here for a whole year now in this ward and she is going home end of this week:(. You can really tell many of the members are super sad about that. She has made a huge difference here in the ward. She spent 2/3 of her mission here anyways haha.

Excerpts from Dad's email:

Hey Dad!

Yeah was a good week for us as well. It was kind of a slow one when comes to the work and our investigators overall for sure. With Christmas coming up, everyone is really busy, including ourselves with volunteer work and members and everything but been slow with finding for sure. Our current investigators are doing really well though! Man got one story for you that comes to mind for sure.

Tracting experiences huh? Hmm that is a hard one, we have weird experiences every day haha. One that comes to mind this past week would have had to been with our friend P..... So p.... is a funny dude, he right away opened up to us when he knew we were from the church. We basically got his whole life story in 20 min lol. That was the initial contact and he is one of those people that don't really let you put a word in easily. So we set up a return appointment and man my companion was so nervous for that lesson because we knew how much this man talks. So we go in and somehow taught him the restoration and he seems to understand it. It is hard to keep him focused on the subject at hand. I seriously started laughing in the lesson at one point when I look over to my companion and his face is in his hands hahaha. I don't think P.... noticed one bit haha. So yeah that was a struggle, but still trying.

Love ya heaps!