Third 3-Week Update for President Carter

Hello dear Pres. Carter,

We're doing well and hope that you and Sis. Carter are doing the same—hopefully you got some family time with Jared and Hannah.  We pray for you both often.

In the past 3 weeks, we have only given a ride (to airport) to the following missionary:

E. Strauss (home to Tokyo, Japan)

I suspect this will pick up here soon.

We attended the English Connect class in Santa Maria by Hnas Furstanua, Jorgenson and Robinson.  They did a nice job and they had 2 brother friends attend.

We attended 2 baptisms--Abraham Torres and Omar Cervantes.

We were privileged to teach 14 lessons with the junior missionaries!  Always a highlight for us.  Twice we have taught lessons with Abraham, who was baptized last week--in both cases, Abraham's powerful testimony has been the highlight of the lesson as our new friend listens to someone who has really changed his life and greatly improved his relationship with Heavenly Father and our Savior.  What a pleasure to be able to witness such powerful testimonies and feel the power of the Savior's Atonement in action!

We helped two new converts (Gilberto Rubio, Rogelio Rodriguez) have interviews with Bp Corona about receiving the Aaronic Priesthood and helped Gilberto prepare some family names to take down to the LA Temple, once he's ordained a priest.

We loved the powerful Christmas Zone Conferences as well, focused on the life & ministry of our amazing Savior Jesus the Christ...what a spiritual feast that week was!

We spoke again in the Camino Real ward Sacrament meeting.  i have also helped the ward clean up their records now that i'm offically sustained and set apart as a membership clerk (always coordinating with the Ward Clerk and EQ President, of course).  We had dinner with Hno Aparicio (Stk High Council) and his family to get to know them better.  We are hopeful to get the "LATE" Sacrament meeting idea up and running by mid-January.

The longer we are here, the more we are loving this mission and the work that we get to do each day/week.  As I mentioned on the phone, Hna Weatherford and i are considering extending our mission for a few months.  We do have some scheduling conflicts and questions that we'd love to talk to you and Sis Carter about when you have time. (maybe after transfers are over next week?)