No transfers

Dear friends and family:

First off, transfers were not last week. We had P-Day on Tuesday because of MLK Jr. day on Monday. Transfers will be next week, we will find out who will be leaving on Monday night, we will pack and email on Tuesday, and then we will find out who our new companions are and actually transfer on Wednesday. I am almost certainly splitting back into Fort Lauderdale East, and getting a new companion, but not actually transferring anywhere. Oh well, we'll see what happens.

We had a great week again. We increased or were consistent in every key indicator except for referrals; and one of the biggest strengths we had this week was working more with the members. Our ward has had many families and individuals move in over the last few weeks or so, and we are very excited to work with them and work through them to help the work of Salvation grow.

We haven't been doing a really good job of working both areas over the last week or so. We mostly knocked in Fort Lauderdale South's area. We'll have to be better about covering both areas so that when we split up again in a week and a half, neither of the areas will have to be whitewashed.

This Saturday, we had an amazing miracle. We were struggling to find new investigators, and we were a little disheartened that it was Saturday and we had no potentials to follow up with. But after we finished studying and eating, we received a call from a member who had just moved to Florida from Haiti. He wanted to come to church the next day, and asked us to come by and see him. So we went over immediately, and were excited to find out that the member had moved in with two nonmember friends. One of them had been visiting the church for several weeks with the member in Haiti, and said that he wanted to become a member. We shared a message about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and helped them find a ride to church. We know that this miracle came directly from God, and it would not have happened if we hadn't followed the spirit and dropped what we were going to do to go and see the member when he called us. Currently he is preparing to be baptized on the 7th of February.

This week my personal studies have been unusually erratic. I have been trying to focus on gaining a stronger testimony of the restoration, but I have also felt like I should be working to better understand the Plan of Salvation, as well as reading the Book of Mormon straight through to better understand it. I feel like I learned a lot about all of them, but not as much as I could have if I had focused more intensely on a single subject.

Mom and Becky: I hope that both of you make it onto the Amazing race. But if you do, you have to promise not to watch it until I get home. :)

Britney: How is starting up college again? What classes are you taking?

Paul, Anna, Gabe, Eliza: How are your grades? What books have you read recently?

Paul: Did you work in the ER over the summer? Does Matt still work there?

Nathan, Liv: What are your favorite things to say? Can you work technology better than most adults yet?

Dad: Is the ward growing, or staying the same size? I'm trying to remember how many people came to church each week, or even who came to church, and I can't think of it. How is working at Piano Marvel? Do they still want to hire me when I get back? Are you still in contact with David Heath?

Thanks,

Elder Slade