Elder Ethan Orchard: Happy Late Thanksgiving!

Hey Everybody!

Happy late Thanksgiving to everyone! Sorry for not writing a post last week, I completely spaced it and didn't even think about it until it was too late. A lot has happened in the last two weeks, probably too much to write about, but I'll make sure and give you the highlights.

A week ago last Saturday, we had Stake conference in one of the three Stakes that we cover. We were able to go to all three meetings, and they were all very uplifting. We got up bright and early Sunday morning so that we could be at the 7 a.m. priesthood leadership meeting. In that meeting, the Second Counselor in the stake presidency had my companion and me come up to the front and share a two minute testimony about becoming God's gentlemen. I decided to share a metaphor that my mission president shared our first day in the field about seeing all of the white on a piece of paper rather than just the big black dot in the center. Everybody loved that, and it was brought up at least two more times in that meeting and then a few times in the general session of conference. Elder Fairbanks and I couldn't help but laugh because of all the attention it got.

Later Sunday night, we got invited over to a members house for waffles. We were visiting the family earlier that week asking for referrals, and they brought up that it was one of their sons birthdays on Sunday, and he always had friends come over for waffles. They invited us over, so of course we accepted. It was really awkward at first because they were all grown up and we didn't know any of them, but we got more comfortable as time went on, and we had a good time.

The beginning of this last week was pretty much the same. It snowed once on Wednesday night, but it wasn't cold enough to stick to the roads yet. There was plenty of snow on the grass though, and it was still there the next morning when we had our Turkey Bowl. I had been preparing for this all week. I love football, and having the chance to take a break and play against other missionaries was very appealing. Like I said before, it had snowed the night before, and it was still there when we got up in the morning to play. So we bundled up, and by bundled up I mean wore long sleeves and two pairs of socks instead of one, and hit the snow. We couldn't tackle, so it wasn't as fun as it could have been. We also weren't allowed to keep score so that it wouldn't get competitive. The most difficult things to deal with were the football constantly getting wet from hitting the ground and not being able to change direction at all without sliding around. Overall, it was a great time, and I had a ton of fun.

After the Turkey bowl, we started hitting dinners right away. We ate the first time at about 1:30, then again at 3:00, then a third time at 4:00, and then one last time at 5:00, just for dessert. We made another visit at 7:00, but luckily we weren't forced to eat anything. The day went by really quick, but we felt terrible most of the day because of the constant eating. I almost took a nap on one of the members' couches that we visited, but I stuck it out and didn't give in to the temptation. I know now how much I'll need to prepare myself when Thanksgiving roles around again next year.

After Thanksgiving, the rest of the week was pretty normal. It starting snowing early this morning, and has been pretty steady so far. By the time we were able to go shopping, it had accumulated a good amount, and it was kind of frightening driving to Walmart. We got in and out pretty quick, and then made our way to our zone activity. We played speedball, which is kind of a mix between soccer and basketball. It was pretty fun and kept us moving quite a bit. After that, Elder Fairbanks and I just stayed at the chapel and used the Family History center to write emails. That brings me to where I'm at right now.

It's been a good last few weeks, and I'm looking forward to the week to come. It's good to hear from everyone, and I hope you all have a great week!

Elder Orchard