1 February 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for writing this last week! I really enjoy hearing about what is going on back at home. So far, nothing has really been making me trunky. All of the "dead" jokes I'm getting from the other missionaries don't really bother me. I normally have a few come-backs to those that get them more than me, but there have been a LOT of marriage jokes and stuff like that that just freak me out. I'm getting a TON of them from the senior couple. I think they think it's funny to watch me squirm. On Sunday, I had to translate, from the pulpit, for a senior missionary who talked about how missionaries need to work hard on getting married once they returned home. Once he said that, he patted me on the shoulder. Everyone in the Sacrament hall laughed a ton. But other than that I think that I'm still going pretty strong, it hasn't quite hit me yet that my mission is coming to an end. I don't think it'll really hit until I've been home for about a week. Then it'll hit me like a train. Things are going really well with the Book of Mormon. This morning I finished in Mormon 6, so there's just a little bit left. I've really enjoyed this challenge. In 2 Nephi 32:3 it teaches us that we need to "Feast on the words of Christ." Elder Mero has explained that this challenge is like "scarfing down the words of Christ." Even though I've been speed reading through the Book of Mormon in the past month, I've found so many new ideas and thoughts as I've read it's pages. I've really enjoyed this challenge! It has given me a renewed love for the Book of Mormon! It brings so much peace and joy! Hopefully you'll get some snow! All of the snow here has melted and it has warmed up a ton. It's almost too warm to just be wearing a suit. I really hope it'll cool back down during this week so it can actually feel like January.

This last week was awesome! We were able to have a Mission Conference last Tuesday with President Kearon. It was such an amazing experience! Just imagine feeling the Spirit super powerfully for four hours on end. That's what it was like. At the beginning of the Conference, President Weidmann invited us to write down a question, or something that we wanted to know more about, and he promised us that we would receive an answer for that question. It was amazing how many promptings from the Spirit that I received about that question that I wrote down. It was just revelation after revelation, line upon line. It was really amazing how it happened. Sometimes the words of President Kearon were a direct answer for that question, and sometimes the ideas that he presented triggered ideas, thoughts, or memories in my head that answered that question. It's amazing how the Lord works like that.

That's one thing that I've learned a ton about during my mission, personal revelation. It's so amazing that each of us has the opportunity to talk with our Heavenly Father through prayer and He communicates to us through His Spirit. I really like the counsel that God gives to us in Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-3 where He tells us that He will tell us in our minds and in our hearts that which we need to do. Before my mission, and in the beginning of my mission, I thought that revelation had to be something huge and miraculous, but I've learned that that's not true. It can just be a small idea or a simple thought that pops into our head. If it invites us to do good, it is of God. It's a simple as that! I really enjoy, and I'm very grateful, that we ALL have the opportunity to communicate with the Greatest Being in existence! God truly does love us!

Thank you for all of your love and support! Ju dua shumë. Kalofshi bukur! Shihemi së shpejti.

Me dashuri,

Elder Watson

Living Members of the Foster Family Line