Post Temple Monday

For this picture, that is my zone in Albuquerque West:  It's small compared to Chamizal, but it's awesome just the same! The other one, that's a sunset. In case you couldn't tell.  XD

Also, Happy Birthday Dillon and Makayla for the month of February! Hope it was awesome! (and I hope there was no one else's birthday in February that I forgot, sorry!!)

This week has been a struggle- that's because it was fast Sunday and then the temple trip the next day!  It was difficult this past week for that reason- a lot of people weren't home, we didn't quite know what to do at times, but it was sweet the last 3 days!  We asked one of the branches to join us in a fast for a lady named Becky- to help her stop smoking (she's been smoking since she was in her teens, she's now in her 60's).  She knows the church is true (and has for awhile), but she just has a hard time with giving up smoking.  So Elder Jackman and I decided to ask the branch to join us in fasting for her, then we went to the temple the next day with her in mind, and it's gonna be awesome, as soon as we can meet with her! (Today, hopefully!)

The temple trip: twas glorious.  We were in the chapel, where we heard from Sister Guffey, then President Guffey, then President Webb of the temple presidency.  Before that, though, we had an opening song and prayer, where I was volunteered *cough cough* Elder Cota *cough cough* to be the chorister/conductor/person thingy.  It was awesome!! (Not the conducting part, the singing part)  Imagine 40 missionaries, and about 20 other people who drove them up there from El Paso, singing "Families Can be Together Forever"... like they believed it!!  They didn't sing it like, "oh, we're in the temple, we need to be reverent, so let's mumble the words"  NOPE.  They sang it like the way you should sing it, exactly like, "I know this is true, this is in the Lord's house, no better way to show my love for Him, I know it!!"  It was awesome!

It's sweet down here, the only downside is that it gets cold here (I walked outside this morning and I could see my breath!  What is this, Idaho??? ;)  It's great (but not spacious or terrible) down here serving in a couple land grants and nations (technically that's what they're called. :) 

Don't ever forget the love that He has for you and who you really are!!

Te whanaunga mo ake tonu!!!!

Elder Eli James Dial