That was definitely the highlight of my week.

   The next transfer date is on November 11th. I most likely will not be transferred but will be getting a new companion.

 

  I am super excited to hear that there is a punching bag at home. For some reason I have really been wanting to work out with a punching bag so now I can do that when I get home and eventually me and Allegra can do some boxing against each other. I will have to practice a bit first because I don't want to get beat! 

 

  I did get to talk with Alan back and forth in emails. Super exciting! Here comes Elder Jordan! Man, a lot sure is happening back home.

 

    Gave my first talk of my mission this Sunday. I made it so long, over a year of never giving a talk. I watched missionaries all around me giving talks but for some reason I was never asked... Until now. It was fun though. I was asked to speak on my favorite talk from conference. I chose the talk by Jörg Klebingat of the 70 titled, "Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence." I talked about pole vaulting and how the first time I ever did it I was pretty scared about the idea of running fast with a pole at a metal box. Then I tied that into all the different things I was able to do to become more confident and all of those had a connection to building our spiritual confidence. I think it went really, really well. You should have been there! :) not really though, you have to wait for the homecoming.

 

   I also got my new suit this week. Now I don't want you to think I am crazy for getting a new suit, I have good reasons. As zone leader I get to go to four district meetings every week, I also get to go to all the baptisms in the zone and I go to church every Sunday. ( that last one shouldn't be a surprise) So with all of these meetings I end up spending over half of my week in a suit and I was getting really tired of always having to wear the same thing over and over again. That is why I got the new suit. It is gray and beautiful and very different from the other suits that I have. I love it and it looks really good, but I can let you judge that for yourselves. I put a picture of me and my companion yesterday at church on the email. I think you will all love it. Go ahead and give me your opinions.

   We had a really cool miracle this week. We are at church and this guy walks in. He comes right up to us and says that he is here for the first time checking out the church and wants to know where to sit. We talk to him really quick before sacrament meeting and then he goes and sits down with one of our Ward missionaries. After sacrament meeting we go and talk with him and get to know him a little better. He said that he has talked with missionaries before and he has a really good friend that is a member in Arizona. He had been asked to go to church before but he had never gone. The past week he said that he had been feeling a lot of inspiration to go and visit a Mormon church so he called his friend in Arizona and told him what was going on. His friend found our Ward online and told him to go this Sunday. He came and after sacrament meeting he told us that he felt so blessed that he was able to come to our church and that he enjoyed it a lot. We told him that it wasn't over and he ended up staying all three hours. He took notes during gospel principles and loved priesthood meeting. After church we talked again. We got his information and are meeting up with him for dinner tonight. He is really excited to talk and learn more. So ready, so prepared. Such an amazing blessing being able to see the Lord hastening his work and providing us with such an amazing opportunity. That was definitely the highlight of my week. It has been a wonderful week and next week I will be able to write about Lanes baptism and hopefully more about our new friend!

   You are all awesome! Keep enjoying the cold! It got down to 54 the other evening and I think I almost saw my breath. It was really cold and I did not like it. I am requesting you bring a nice big marshmallow coat to the airport in a year, otherwise I might die...

   Have a great week! I love you all!

Elder Maxwell