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Happy Monday.   This week was pretty good.  We are working hard and we are getting along great as companions.

Just a great note about this week.  I have spoken with more people in English this week than in 7 months (that's right, we're crossing the 7 month line!!!).  Everyone stops me in the streets to talk in English.  There is quite the range of English speaking ability here.  Sometimes I answer with a Utah accent and it loses them.  Other times I respond and they carry a heavy southern accent.  It's pretty cool and it's motivating my companion to learn English even faster (but it is going pretty slow, I´m being patient but he's taking his time ha ha).

Yesterday Sandra and Lolis came to church.  They got there late (after the sacrament) and left right after sacrament meeting.  But they did come.  Now we're working of two more hours, or 7 more for this weekend.

I'm really excited for the conference.  We are planning on inviting everyone and we hope to see a lot of people there.  I'm planning on good health this week.  But don't worry if I miss it. I still listen to the last conference and I know just about every talk based on how it starts.  And I'm planning on keeping up the habit.

It´s going great here.  The people are a little weird.  They'll talk to you for 3 hours but in the second that you say God, Church of Jesus Christ, Religion, Joseph Smith, Prophets, Bible or just about anything else they go running.  We're working on that, and we have some good plans.  Hopefully my idea gets approved to talk to some of the AA groups in the area and ask them to "advertise"  Hopefully they let me and hopefully it works to find some people to teach.

I had a very spiritual experience yesterday in church.  It started off really bad.  So I play the piano in the branch and so I played the sacramental hymn. When I finished they blessed the bread and passed it.  And then I realized just as they were starting the water that they never came to me.  I was meditating a bit and didn't notice.  So they passed the water and after a lot of confusion they brought me the bread and the water.  It started as a very stressful moment when I realized I hadn't eaten the bread but then when they brought the bread and water to me the peace and the joy I felt to renew my covenants was so incredible.  I have never felt the importance in the way that I felt it yesterday.  I always knew that it was important but it took a whole new meaning to almost not be able to take it.  And then they let me talk about the Sabbath Day observance.  It was nice to add a little bit more heartfelt meaning to my testimony of the Sacrament.  It was a good experience but I don't really recommend it to everyone.

I hope you all enjoy conference and have a great spiritual week.  I pray for you.  I love you

Elder Allred