We were trained on how to teach people about the Gilbert Temple open house.

Dec 23, 2013
This email won't be quite up to my recent novel status but that's just
because... I will see you in two days! So I need to save some words
for then too! That sure looks like a lot of snow, we don't have quite
that much down here. I'm glad you got the tie safely, I also received
your packages and the envelope. I'm super spoiled. Our Christmas tree
has plenty of presents under it. So thank you!! I've received a few
letters from the Ward, I will make sure to use those Thank you's you
sent me. Also, be ready to Skype at high noon.

We had Zone Conference this week. It was really good, we were trained
on how to teach people about the Gilbert Temple open house and we have
these invitations to hand out. We aren't aloud to go to the open house
with our investigators but President said he is trying to work out a
day that the whole mission can go and go through the open house! So
I'm praying for that.

D is doing good. I didn't get to teach him because I was on am
exchange with Elder B. He is my Zone leader. He is super awesome,
I love him a lot. He taught me a lot and we got to go to the Christmas
Lights at the temple! They're so awesome. I will be sure to send some
pictures soon. And then on Friday we got to go to the lights again
with J. He is a Recent Convert, baptized back in August. He
recently had a stroke (within the last year) and he is way cool.

Another cool thing. We started teaching T!!  T is a foreign
exchange student from Brazil that lives with our Bishop. We were over
there eating dinner and he agreed to let us teach him! He's about 6
foot 5. He comes to church every once and a while and every time he
comes I talk about basketball with him so he loves me haha. I don't
know how we would be able to get it figured out in order to get him
baptized but we will figure that out later. But for now he agreed to
read and pray about the Book of Mormon! Oh yeah, and he is 17.
Miracles.

We also encountered a very drunk man named T. We went to eat lunch
with To who is returning from being a Less Active alcoholic for the
past 40 years. He is awesome. Anyways T was there when we showed up
and he was really so drunk. And To decided it would be funny to
leave us outside with him while he cooked lunch. Well soon enough T
started yelling at me about how I had no idea how hard it was to kill
a man. He called me a donkey, but in a lot ruder way. The hardest
part, which probably shouldn't have hurt me as much as it did, was I
tried to testify of the Savior and how he understands To and that's
when he got the meanest. I stepped back and felt very sorry for myself.
I was confused. I felt like a promise had been broken, I had testified
and it didn't help anything. Obviously this man was in no way prepared
or even able to feel the Spirit, but regardless I was pretty hurt. So
I stepped back, let him talk to Elder T and said a little
prayer. Some time passed and he turned to me and asked, "Young man, do
you really believe that? In God." I answered yes. And he thanked me.
It was weird because right after that he went right back to his vulgar
drunken self. But God knew I needed that, He really does care.

Well, have a Merry Christmas Eve and tell everyone I say hello! I will
see you in two days at noon.

Love, Elder Alexander

Sent from my iPad

Merry Christmas Eve!