November 9, Amazingly Great Letter!

Dear Family!
We just found a CD player in the closet and are listening to an EFY CD right now because it's P-day and we get EFY CD listening abilities on P-day instead of just Mo-Tab! Actually, when Elder D was first out, Pres. Sonne just had the rule "anything that brings you closer to the Spirit" and he listened to Jack Johnson a lot, but people abused it, of course, and it got changed to Mo-Tab and talks!
Lauren! How are you doing?! I hope better! Take it easy! I'm glad to hear your harp concert was amazing! That thing (the harp) is a pain! But you sound awesome on it!
My apartment's way nice except for the 3 Black Widows we've killed and 1 we didn't! Scary! The members living above us are cool! Bro. Wanburg is in charge of growing and placing the flowers/plants on all of Temple Square! We have our own washer/dryer, own kitchen, study tables, couches/living room, bathroom, bedroom and closets! It's one of the better ones Elder D has ever been in!
Renee didn't get baptized on the 31st and she's moving so we're just finding out what she wants to do! She's still coming to church, but won't really meet with us regularly like she needs to before baptism, so we're just gonna figure out what she wants, commit her to do it, and meet with us or we'll move on! Because there's so much for us to do and if she's not committed, we will use our time to teach and find those that are committed! Thank you so much for the continual prayers for me and my comps and my investigators!
We did Temple service on Monday and besides vacuuming in the changing areas/women's lockers, we straightened the rows of chairs in the Solemn Assembly Room for them to shoot footage to use in the Visitor's Center! So if you go and see it, I arranged those right before they filmed that!
Honestly, I am feeling amazing! The normal things that I didn't like or bothered me back home don't bother me any more! I just have a deeper understanding and love, mainly from being totally immersed in the Gospel and just out of respect for everyone around me! My health is great! Unstable at times, but great!
Lauren, your room is incredible! I hope you realize how sweet it is and are grateful for it! My pumpkin's pretty sweet! not gonna lie! What did you guys do with it? SMASH IT?!?! haha
Filltridge's! 6 members!!! OH MY! How it's shrunk! Mom & Dad! You look rad! I like the white shirt and socks with the shorts! and the peace sign! As long as you guys are comfortable with yourselves, then whatever! haha I don't have to worry about you embarrassing me for 2 years! haha (This was in response to pics we sent him.)
Oct. 29--Zone Conference-We talked about Faith and Hope! We hope for something in life! Then we have a trial in all things! Then we do action to show our faith and every time we press through the trial-no matter how large or small-we will receive the blessing or thing hoped for! Tonight we got the Samoan Ward from our ZL's! YES!!!!
Oct. 30--I ate a whole burrito of tongue for lunch because Elder Orme thought I liked it that much! To imagine what it's like, imagine the rubber bumps on the back of the tooth brushes we use that are really cool! Now make it 4 times that big, but the same texture! That's the chunks of taste bud covered tongue in my burrito! :/! NO BIEN!!! We've promised Emmanuel and Suzanne that their bills will be paid and Emmanuel will get a job if they keep the commandment to come to church! Last week Suzanne had to work, but Emmanuel came with his daughter, Beyonce! And their bills have been paid!
Oct. 31--Halloween! Tonight we had a Zone party at the North Point church building! We played this tennis game with a kick ball and 2 people on each side and a net made of chairs! I was way good because of my volleyball skillz! We also watched "The Best Two Years"! It was even funnier now because I understand a lot more now and was watching it with 17 other missionaries!
Nov. 1--We traveled to the North boundary of the mission to check a referral with our Ward Mission Leader and right to the east of us is the airport, so we went out there on a road right before the runways start and the planes fly right over! So one P-day, we're gonna go out there and get some pics of planes right over us! Speaking of planes! There's a stunt pilot that flies right over our house some times! He's insane! Barrel rolls, flips, nose dives! He does it all! Insane! Our Zone goal for baptisms is 45 in November. Each companionship needs to get 2 people on date this week! Oh...in Psalms 46, count 46 words in and read the word! Now read 46 words from the back, not including the last word-the name Selah! Put the first and second words together! Who wrote the book of Psalms?! haha
Nov. 2--Elder Dyson was messing with the emergency brake while making phone calls and it got stuck! It got so bad, we said a prayer for help! We opened the trunk and the only thing we had was a cookie sheet we used on Halloween to bake pumpkin seeds! So I grabbed that and smacked it against the emergency brake button! And it released! :) Then we said a prayer of thanks! Very funny moment! I had my first Samoan dinner tonight! I love these people! God knows me so well to place me in this mission! Because He knows how much I love the Polynesian people and there are so many Polynesian people! I get to interact with them a lot! But He knows this is where I belong! It's very cool! We taught Lanae again tonight and cleaned up any questions in her mind about baptism and authority. The Spirit was so strong in that lesson and it was really obvious that she felt it!
Nov. 3--We had New Missionary Training today at the mission office! It was the first time I've seen my MTC District in 2 weeks! It was great to see them again and hear about some of their experiences! I bore my testimony about the power we've been given and our faith! I told how on exchanges the other day, DL Elder Hancock and I went to Emmanuel's and just stopped by to say his so Elder Hancock could meet him. Turns out he'd already seen him a week ago-this is Sat. the 31 and he was really drunk and stuff, so on Sunday, I fasted that today when we taught the Word of Wisdom, they would have no problems quitting that stuff! I bore my testimony that I knew they would because of my fast for them and my obedience, and the Lord was bound to do this! I told them that it hasn't happened yet, but I can already tell you what will happen. Later today, we had the lesson and guess what? They committed to keep the Word of Wisdom from now on and are still going to be baptized on Nov. 21 as a family!
That's about it! Love you all!
Love,
Elder Partridge