Snow is on the ground.

Winter has finally hit. Snow is on the ground. The sun hasn't really shined for a couple days now. Word on the street is you can say goodbye to the sun for weeks at a time. Elder Houskeeper claims to seasonal depression and is not excited for the gray dark winter days. It's okay and all. Just is not exactly exciting to tract or walk to appointments in the dark.

This week! It's been an average week with only moving two people. The first was a less active lady. Her half of the duplex is nice! The duplex she moved from... Well... I'm grateful for the environment I grew up in! That one was kind of scary... It was covered in just grease, dirt, dust. Just nasty. We moved the couch and it looked like it hadn't been moved in 10 years. Luckily none of us showed our... "green" faces. It was one of those moves where they didn't have anything packed. It wasn't too bad though. They called us the night before to have us move too. It's funny how the missionaries are used out here haha

We had another move last Saturday. That one was a fiasco! It was moving our recent convert Darlene. The one that got baptized just before I got into Cheektowaga. She moved out of her mom's place. (She is 60ish and her mom is like 80ish, I think). It was very sad! The environment she was living in was just harsh and mean to her. They were yelling at her/us left and right when we were getting what few things she had! Luckily between us and the Orchard Park ward that she moved into, we were able to get her lots of stuff to fill the apartment. It's one that the rent is based off of a % of your income. Lot's of gov't help out here in the NY. Darlene will be much happier in that place. I don't even think she had a bed in her mom's house!!!!! Sad... Sad.... The move went very crazy like because we had it planned at 1pm and the night before the Elder's Quorum President called everyone and changed it to 10:30am and didn't tell us... We were at the Bishop Storehouse food drop off helping people unload and load. So we get the call wondering how they are getting in the apartment because Darlene and the key weren't going to be there until 1pm. It was quite the crazy morning. Made the missionaries look very bad and unorganized. Oh well. She got moved in and she is much happier!

Still working with Frank! He is just awesome. His work schedule got crazy but he is still coming to church. He is just awesome and we can't wait to help him get to that Temple! He is awesome! It's just like a happy energy boost to meet with him. Plus he has awesome stories from growing up as a black kid in like the 1950-60's. SOOO many funny stories. Like how he didn't smoke or drink while he was in the army. So he sold his smoke rations and alcohol rations to other soldiers or the people in the community he was in. Basically made enough money to get himself a tour of Europe after he was out of the army and get himself situated when he got home. He is a hard worker! He definitely is barely getting by but he is awesome and just has a great outlook on life!

We hate Monday Holidays. the libraries close and so we get shorted on writing home as we have to cram in writing home time on Tuesday. BUT the advantage of it was we actually had time to do something fun for P-day. We just hung out with the Zone leaders and 2 other companionships in Orchard Park. They have an actual gym so we played basketball and stuff.

Finally fixed my bike tire! Dumb Walmart sold tires with weird little pump attachments. So I had to return that and get another one that would actual fit the bike pumps that normal people use. So hopefully that little hunk of metal with get me from Point A - to - Point B. Because walking to Frank's and half of our appointments is about 3 hours each direction....

We had a zone meeting which was pretty good! The stake president of Buffalo is awesome. He talked about CTR and changed the Acronym to Conversion Temple Rescue. As it applies to missionary work especially in the NY area. You have to work on all 3 parts as a missionary here. You have to help them reach Conversion. Help them reach the Temple. And Rescue those that may have strayed from the path. He also shared his vision of the Buffalo area and how he knows it will grow one day to be full of so many stakes and be a strong area of membership. The work is definitely progressing in WNY (Western NY as the Locals call it.) It might seem slow but it is progressing.

He also talked about the Brother of Jared and the 16 stones that he presented to the Lord to have their light shine. He has a goal with this Stake Conference Adult session to get 600 adults there (Which is like 400 more than average). BUT he talked about how we should present these 600 souls as souls to be touched by the Lord that they might go out and have their light (Of Christ) shine. President Pace is awesome!