Hey everybody it will be short but I just want to thank all of you for your kindness to me this time of year and throughout my mission. It was wonderful to call home Im so grateful that my family has been so blessed in my abscence. I continue to learn much and am always grateful for this mission expierence. I hope that all of us will make some new years resolutions that regard our spiritual growth for that is the most important phase in our growth. Maybe it could be having more meaningful prayer, reading the scriptures each day, visiting someone loneley each week, getting a 100% home teaching, actually studying our lessons beforehand and being an active participant in our lessons, maybe it could be palcing a pass along card each week, or studying PMG each week, or whatever just get a vision of where you want to improve and set aside some time. Ive found that spiritual growth filters off into all other categories of growth. I love you all hers to a great new start. Lets make the year of 2010 our best yet. Elder Powell

Well hey im pretty darn excited for the baptism coming up. Shes going strong and is commited to stay the course. The fellowship and involvement of this ward has been amazing. They ran some numbers across and the high priests group got 80% home teaching thats great can they improve yes but man think what the church could accomplish if that was the case for the whole church. My guess is its below 50% throughout the world. So if your slacking im calling you to repentance. Home teaching can change lives thats been the case with the Blackcloud family its nothin Ive done but what a faithful home teacher has done. If this work is to go forth it must be through the members. Whether it means we retain our new converts, or find the lost sheep, or bringing new people into the fold the blessing is the same. You will feel the love of God and start to recognize how important each and every person is. Im so grateful im here and for the blessings we are seeing. The ward mission leader and us are commited to filling the font each month. But Ive been reading Jesus the Christ, the New Testament, and the March 2008 special ensign on Christ. I recomend giving that to your nonmember or less active friends it is so good. Ive been learning alot and its amazing how much I forget about the Saviors life. I am convinced that if we constantly study the Saviors life we will be less apt to give in to sin, we will be more apt to love, more willinfg to serve because he exemplified all those things. My heart is full of wonder and awe over all that he did, all that he did for us, and how much he loved us. I have a long ways to go to be like him but I am so grateful for the upliftment I get when I study his life. Do your best thats what God wants from us this Christmas. I love you all Im sending out my Christmas cards tommorow hope you like them. Elder Powell

Hey everybody what a great week. We already were able to set someone for a baptismal date for Dec. 17th S B. Just so you know I'm In Dover, PA it is right above York back in the original Harrisburg Mission. Great ward, great ward mission leader alot of Part Member families we are going to work with. Its pretty close to where I was trained so thats fun. Have a good companion been out 20 months Elder Deyoung really funny guy. Hes 25 so thats crazy but we are Co- Senoirs which is good i wouldnt want to tell him what to do haha. But no we get along well. Just felt real blessed this week i really feel like the trial of my faith was St.Mary's and now the blessings seem to be numerous on the horizon. I have a testimony of love and a testimony of members reaching out. You have more influence then you realize for good or for bad. help the missionaries out and dont be dead weight. Get excited if your bored your doing something wrong the gospel is meant to be exciting. How exciting it is for me to have the opportinity to change lives and so too can you. You just have too wait patiently on the Lord after youve done your part. I love you all Talk to Mom if you have any questions about things i need. Have a good week. Elder Powell

Hey everybody. Hope you all had a great thanksgiving mine was great. We had a way fun turkey bowl we played in the mud and slid everywhere haha. But we also got incredibly stuffed and that is not an understatement. We had three large meals that day. Bryan came to church again so that's great he can now be baptized if he will excercise a little faith and progress towards that goal. We got back in contact with Barbara and I think we resolved her concerns and I think we can get her back on track so that was exciting. Just so you know I got the news and I am getting transfered. President released me as District Leader and informed me that I would be serving with an older missionary and then I will train after that so im excited about that. Ive enjoyed being a district leader but I think its good when others get the chance to serve in leadership so they can grow. it helped me grow I dont know if this is temporary or not but I am excited of the prospects of just being a regular ole missionary. Not as much stress and you can just devote all your time to the work. But im going to miss St. Mary's we worked hard Ive grown to love many people here. Its always good to have a fresh start and its always great this time of year Christmas I mean. Id encourage all of you to start thinking of service you could do to make somebody more happy this holiday season I know im really going to try and be aware of opportunities. But I guess next week ill just have to let you know where im going and such I gotta go pack i love you all have a good week. P.S I know some of you have asked what would be good to send for Christmas ill let you know for sure next week and my new address. Elder Powell

Well hey, theres gotta be something wrong with me I got sick again this past week. But i'm better now, I hate staying in the apartment. I got sick for 3 days and then my companion got sick for three days. Got alot of studying done and I've enjoyed it but its alot better out applying it rather then just reading about something. Were able to have a great day yesterday saw B and T and B with a member and it sure is good having a member along. That way when they come to church they have somebody they know and its not such a shock. Try to go out with the missionaries if you don't have someone to teach, see if they can't go with ya to see some of your less actives with ya. But now that I think about it they probable have tons to do at least back west because they cover stakes and geez I only cover two branches haha. But we just got back from going to tour the Zippo factory up in Bradford probably heard of it they make real lise lighters and also case international is up there they make knives so that was pretty cool to go see. This could be my last week here the ZL'S recommended I leave but ya its all about what President feels inspired to do. Either way there is positives to me staying or going so whatever works so send stuff to my mission address for the next little bit. But can't believe its already thanksgiving what a wonderful time of here. We have much to be grateful for our freedom, this church, our families, knowing God's will, having job opportunities so much I could go on and on but let us remember to really stop and think of lord's wonderful blessings he has given to us. If we think long enough we will discover that we are the most blessed people on earth hands down. We have much to live up to when much is given much is expected let us not shirk our duty and always to remeber to thank the Lord. I'm grateful for all that I have and all of you. Take care and have a great thanksgiving. Elder Powell

Well hey back to monday p-dayIts only been 4 days since I last wrote so we will see if I can think of stuff to write that will interest you. B came to church which is great 2nd time he has come. He liked it from what Elder Christensen said I was up in Kane this sunday. I guess at the Ridgway building someone pulled the fire alarm and the fire department came haha. Probably one of the A kids. 2nd week in a row their was major drama haha. Sister Murphy an older lady passed out in the bathroom and the ambulance came and took her to the hospital shes fine but the branch president sure looked worried at the time. Our branch is getting hit with alot of stuff so many people are sick and are expierencing hardships. People are moving out and stopped coming or are offended I tell ya just plain drama sometimes haha. All in all though great branch though. Have 3 people already willing to feed us on thanksgiving so that's good and we are working on getting some less actives out to a turkey bowl thanksgiving morning. Found a real cool guy named J seeing him tonight excited for that. This week we will be having our Zone Conference those are always uplifting and well worth the time. Wednesday will be the new day for District meetings. After district meeting this wensday we are going to try and help the other elders find some investigators like the last two months theyve found like 4 people not good haha. But crazy thing is I think we are setting the example in our district for work ethic yet they are the ones who are having a baptism coming up haha. Oh well we will keep working and will put this area in a position to succeed. As I might have told you I finished the Old Testament and am now on to the New Testament. I have a great love for the New Testament. Jesus's sayings are so profound and so true. You could gather so much just from one verse. Im grateful to be studying it this holiday season and I encourage you all to do so like wise. It will help draw our thoughts to the Savior and will help us remember the real reason for the season. Im doing well hope you all have a great week.With LoveElder Powell

Hey everybody!!Things are going well here B is doing well and weve made some progress with some of our investigators. We were finally able to get back in contact with R. Hes been gone for a couple weeks his daughter went on to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and he went to NYC with her. But anyways he's going to read the B.O.M from the beginning. R S is a excommunicated member who we found who wants to come back and we have been meeting with him pretty regularly. those are just a couple people we just keep finding and dropping finding and dropping but i know that if we talk to enough people we will find those who are ready. We've been doing alot of service lately working at the Hospital, splitting, stacking, and gathering wood, and we work at the Northern Elk Food Bank. A first glance one may wonder what does this do well I have to say it has brought good exposure to the church and it removes negative and false ideas about the church. I enjoy doing it its fun meeting new people my nickname at the Food Pantry is Tater Tot haha so were fitting in pretty well. But I have a testimony of love is the key that unlocks doors. When we love we feel better about ourselves and those whom we come in contact with. Let us all work on this the greatest of all attributes.(Moroni 7:45-48) I love my Savior and I love being a missionary. Take care and be strong. Elder Powell