Nope! The transfer fairy has passed by me this time!  I will be staying in the same area.  Same companion.

 

In other news!:

 

So we had been planning on visiting this part member family forever.   The dad was baptized about three years ago, and his wife is not a member.  They aren't active in church or anything, and we had never met them.  Every time we went by previously, it was either someone else who said they weren't home, or no one answered at all.  So once again, we knocked. *knock knock knock*.  No answer.  *knock knock knock*.  No answer.  *knock knock knock*.  No answer.  Just as we were about to leave, mi companero says "maybe we should check the back and see if the kids are playing back there".  That didn't even make sense, because we didn't really even know if they had kids.  We look back, and I wish I could say that my companion had a prophetic moment, but there weren't kids there.  But we did find the mom and dad, so I guess it was sort-of prophetic.  Anyway, we talk to them and apparently he was talking to his wife about baptism and trying the whole "church thing" out again just barely the night before we got there.  He had literally been praying for guidance and help and they were thinking about calling us when we just popped up.  Super crazy!  Long story short, they were at church yesterday and his wife is on date for February 15th.  Game time!

 

We had a baptism!  This guy, has been calling himself a "dry Mormon" for the past several years was finally baptized with his nine year old step-daughter.  Everything went well, and a bunch of people came.  They were confirmed yesterday and he was given the Aaronic Priesthood.  Pretty neat!

 

Our investigator family is still doing really well.  They came to the baptism on Saturday and seemed to enjoy it.  They didn't come to our ward yesterday, but they did go to their mom's ward down in Laveen.  They tell us that they are praying and reading the Book of Mormon daily individually and as a family.  Super cool!  I think tonight we're going to show them how to conduct Family Home Evening.  They are so Mormon already it makes me sick.  They just need to get married.  Good thing they totally are.  Did I mention that?  They're all on date for marriage and baptism on March 1st!  I can't remember if I mentioned that or not.  Probably did.  Anyway, that's going to be a big day for them.  They totally love us.  He found out that missionaries don't necessarily just stay in one area for their whole mission and he was upset.  I guess he can rest assured that neither of us are leaving yet!

 

Rick, I haven't realized, but I get a ton of compliments on my awesome backpack.  I thought I'd let you know that.  Thanks again!  I don't think there has been a week where my backpack is not complimented by another missionary.  Pretty classy.

 

Oh yeah, I think I mentioned Elder Holland was coming to speak to us on Saturday?  Yeah, Elder Holland got reassigned and Elder Wright from the 70 spoke to us instead.  Still cool, but not quiteElder Holland cool.  We also had Zone Conference last week, and President Toone made us a promise that if we apply the principles that were taught in "The Meeting" (you know, the MLC that I randomly got invited to where they changed everything.  Yeah, it's "The Meeting") that we'd be able to find and baptize complete families.  That's a pretty sweet promise.  Definitely already coming into fruition.

 

We just got a new family of like 6 that moved into our area that the Maryvale Elder referred us to (suckers!) and they are really cool!  We only taught them yesterday, but we should be teaching them pretty much daily.  Cool stuff.

 

Th-th-tha- that's all folks!

 

-Elder Cox