This past week I would count as a good one! We were able to stay in

our area almost everyday and we did a lot of teaching. When Elder

Allen Packer came to our mission a month or so ago, he challenged us

as a mission to teach 20 lessons a week! On average I would say we teach

from 10 to 15. It depends on your area. This past week Elder Bennett

and I taught 12, which isn’t bad considering our circumstances. We are

going to try and teach 15 this week.

We were able to see our main investigator this week. Her name is

Shasta, she has been investigating for a couple years I think now, she

claims to be a Mormon but isn’t baptized, she even defends the church

when someone tries to attack it. So we are going to try and help

her out as best as we can. She brought her brother to church this

week, so we hope to start working with him too.

Tomorrow we are going to a Mardi Gras parade!! I’m so stoked, We are

going to the one in Metaire, which is outside of New Orleans. I’m gonna

catch so many beads, I might even have to push little kids out of the

way to get the good stuff! Everyone says that most Mardi Gras parades

are good for familes and are clean. It’s just the ones down in the

French Quarter in New Orleans that are bad, and those are at night. I’ll

be sure to take lots of pictures and hopefully some cool videos!

I’ve been trying to study a lot on the Atonement lately. Its such a

deep and personal topic, I didn’t know where to start. But I have been

learning so much. It doesn’t just cover the repentance process, the

Atonement covers so much more! It strengthens us to do more than what

we could do on our own, it allows is to grow in ways that we didn’t

know, it enables us to have power over temptations, and so much more.

We can have eternal life if we take full advantage of it.  The more I study

the more I see more and more weaknesses that I have, but because the

Atonement I know that I can overcome them and become strong. Even

though we might not receive all the blessings of the Atonement in this life,

we have the hope, that the gospel gives us that we can receive all the

blessings that it gives, throughout eternity! My mind can’t even

comprehend what that even covers. Sorry I just got my mind blown

this week. I got a lot of work to do! :)

I had a kid ask me this week why I decided to serve a mission, as I

sat and thought about the thousands of reasons, one came to my mind...

"Well the Gospel is true" That’s all I could say, and that’s all I need to

say--the Gospel is true. We are in good hands.