December 17, 2010

Hey family!!

    Hows life for everyone at home?  Sounds like everything is going well and that you will be having a ton of fun tonight singing and visiting people around Parker! Cool thing about that is I will be out doing the same thing with my ward family here:) We are having a ward family home evening tonight where we will be going around singing to people in the ward and taking them a Christmas gift.  It should be pretty good!

     I am really beginning to tell how much I love the wards here.  It's kinda crazy.  I am beginning to see how much of an affect we can have on people's lives, and it is cool. The area I am in right now is going to be pretty dang tough to leave. Sister Finau is like my mission mom at the moment - always taking care of us when we need it.  We are having opportunities to give her blessings quite often as her health isn't so good. We are able to take her the sacrament every week, which is awesome and that really makes her day.

     This week we had a pretty crazy lesson with a girl named Courtney.  She is an 18 year old girl who is dating one of the priests in our ward who is preparing to go on a mission! She has been to church every week for pretty much the last month.  We finally got a lesson with her this last week. It was such a good lesson and we were all pretty much in tears before it was all said and done. She committed to be baptized and hopefully will be baptized by the end of the month, or maybe in January. The only bad thing is that we found out she isn't in our area.  So our zone leaders will  be teaching her, which stinks:/  But what do you do, right?! As long as the work is progressing that's all I care about.  It is a little frustrating to see others baptizing and we aren't. But that's not the point.

      As for next week, Skype will be awesome! What time is going to be the best time for us to Skype?  Maybe in the afternoon or what? And as for Regg and Jake tell them I would love to see those two! Regg is going to be home???!!!! That is so cool! Try and keep him on the straight and narrow! Tell him I said hi and that I love him.  He is a stud! Crazy how fast time goes when your out here. It seems like it is all one big dream. But it's good! These next couple of weeks are going to FLY! I hope that you guys are having fun and go up and enjoy the condo! Don't be too grumpy to miss out on that.  Remember it's not what you get each other, it's what you do together that the kids will remember! I am so stoked to hear from you guys!  Hopefully everyone can make it!  I will call in the morning to double check on what time is going to be best for everyone. I think that I will be able to email next Monday.  Even if not, know that everything is all good and I am alive, even though it does get cold in Vegas.  I didn't belive it either, but it does.  It's in the 30s at night, which when your acclamated to Vegas is dang cold!

     Tell Jake and Regg to come over. I really want to talk to them. Not to be a jerk but probably no one else, though.  Just because I really want to talk to the family the most and I will only have an hour to be on the phone:)

     Elder Wanner has a ton of support from home.  His family is super awesome and his girlfriend sends us bomb cookies!   So he is doing good.  We are having a good time and starting to hit it off:) The Lord just wanted to try us first I guess! He does that to you sometimes while you are on the mission!

     As for Christmas, we are going to be well taken care of.  We have a list of like 7 people who really want us to come by and at least 5 more that said we could.  We just want to space it out enough so we can hit everyone.  Christmas Eve morning we have a breakfast, and then Christmas Eve we have a dinner.  Then we get to chill at the member's house until nine.  So it's going to be awesome!! Their names are the Nicholas family.  They always cook good food and they are super excited to have us! It will be a little different without the whole family opening pajamas! Just do it without me ;) Take lots of pics so I can see what everyone gets and be prepared on Christmas to tell me all about everything everyone has going on! I love you guys so much! Thanks for all your letters and support you are giving to me, I have the best family in the world, that's for sure! And the money I got is going to be going to a family in need this Christmas:) Elder Wanner and I are going to go shopping for them today.  I think that's going to be fun! Thanks for all you do and for always being there! Tell Regg I said whats up!! And tell him he did good work out there and Congrats!!

     I love you all so much and hope that we will all remember what Christmas really is all about... Our Lord Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for all that he has done for me and for everything that he went through so that I could be happy out here serving him:) Crazy how much my love for Him has grown the past couple months. He is very real and He knows us all.  I know that to be very true.

   I love you all and hope you have an awesome week!! Keep up the good work everyone! And have a Merry Christmas!!!!:)

Love,
Elder Crapo


ps... I can see snow on Mt Charleston!!!!! I almost cried when I saw it I was so happy!!!:)