Dear Family,

This week flew by. I feel like I just wrote you. This week has been interesting in that we didn´t get very much work done but I feel like I have progressed a lot. On Wednesday and Thursday all the new missionaries in our Zone and another Zone went to Mazatenango to get a Seminar on how to better use Preach My Gospel and what we need to be focusing on. It was really good and helped me realize a lot that I could improve on. It also helped me regain perspective on what my purpose is here on the mission. Also on Thursday, after the meeting we got our mail and I got Grandpa´s letter and your letter mom. It gave me a huge boost to hear how everyone is doing. I especially appreciated your testimony on families, mom because our focus on the mission is to find and baptize families. I am so grateful to have the family I do and for all the support that I receive from them. I was especially sweet because on Saturday we had the opportunity to baptize a father and complete a family. The man that we have had a baptismal date with for forever finally got baptized on Saturday. It was really small because he only really wanted his family there. I was asked to give a talk on baptism and I told him how this was just the start of a new life. A new life with a family more united in the gospel working together towards eternal life. After the baptism when all his family was hugging him and congratulating him he got pretty choked up and this is a man who usually doesn´t show his emotion. There was a really powerful spirit that testified to me that that moment is what a mission is all about. These are the moments that I am going to want to remember, not the long walks and awkward moments.

Also yesterday we had a investigator come to church that we have been working with for awhile and wants to be baptized but has a smoking problem that he has been quiting slowly but surely and he also has work on Sundays. Him and his wife made the sacrifice this week and came to church and during church he came up to me and thanked me for helping him come to church because he could feel the spirit there and that he needed to be there. It was a pretty powerful testimony booster to me of the power of church. So pretty much this week has been pretty awesome. I have been just happy all week especially this weekend. I love missionary work. I am especially happy because tomorrow is the mission Christmas party. All the missionaries have been talking about it and how it is the best day of the year. They have been holding all our packages so they can give them to us at this party. As far as Christmas goes we can call on the 24 or the 25 because they celebrate Christmas on the 24 here. I don't know what is best for you but i haven´t figured out all the logistics yet.

We have a phone in our apartment that we can use so maybe I will call you and have you call me back on the calling card. I´ll ask other missionaries how they do it. Yesterday at church we got the Liahona from conference and you would have thought christmas already came to see all the missionaries. We were so excited. I am so grateful for a living prophet direct us in these days. Well my time is running short but Im grateful for this opportunity I have every week to hear from you and write you. It sounds like everyone is doing great and getting ready for christmas. Sounds like stone is doing great on the piano. He will probably be better than me when I come home because I really have not had an opportunity to play because there are no pianos here. I hope everyone has fun getting ready for christmas and stays stress free. I love you all so much and pray for you and can feel your prayers.

Con Amor,

Elder Matthew Truman Thorley

P.S. The turtle is from one of our investigators and I just thought is was a funny picture so I sent it. This computer cant send pictures but I will send you pictures next week of the baptism.