Feb 3rd email

It's pretty crazy that it is already February! We didn't get to see the super bowl at all, we just stayed upstairs and studied, and then went to dinner with some members that didn't watch it because they only have girls in their family. Like dad, Super Bowl Sunday is one of my favorite holidays of the year, so it was hard to miss. We live up in the second story of our members house so I just looked out over Folsom and realized that everyone was in their houses watching the game, and I was in a closet studying, but it’s all good. The gospel is more important than the greatest game in America and the most fantastic commercials of the year with amazing food. The members we live with did buy us Costa Vida though which made me really happy. The only Costa Vida is up in the Roseville mission boundaries, so Sister Hamilton picked some up for us while she was up there. It was like being back in Utah country for a second. I have missed Costa Vida/Café Rio so much!

Working in our area has been going really well. I feel that Elder Kahne and I have done a great job of building the trust of the ward and getting them excited to work. We are frequently told by members how excited they are to have us there, and that really motivates us to work even harder. We have really challenged the Folsom 5th ward to do all they can to find people that are ready to accept the gospel. One way we really wanted to get the ward excited was to find people on our own as well, to show the ward that we were serious about this work. We have really struggled to find someone to teach over the past two weeks, but after much prayer and fasting, Elder Kahne and I were able to add 2 new Investigators this week that we found! We have been talking to everyone in the streets, tracting lots of neighborhoods and apartments, and we were promised that as we talk to everyone we would find someone to teach whether through our efforts of through the efforts of others. Sure enough, it happened! We are really excited, as is the ward! Our ward is really pulling through as they have told us about many friends they are working with that could become investigators really soon. I am excited for the future of this ward, and even though it has required lots of hard work, things are picking up. The Lord Provides!

We had a pretty crazy experience this week. We were out visiting people with the 1st councilor of the bishopric, and we went to go visit a less active member  that no one knew. When we walked up to his apartment door, there was a stack of beer bottles 8 feet long and 5 feet high, so we figured this guy wasn't very active. When we knocked he was shocked to see us, and was wondering how we made it through his "anti-Mormon shield" (the beer bottles). haha but then he invited us in which was also shocking. As we walked in, we got hit by the crazy cloud of smoke. As we went to the living room, we saw 2 more stacks of beer bottles even bigger than the first one. Safe to say that this guy drinks a lot. We found out he drinks 6 beers and smokes 2 packs of cigarettes every day. But he is a Rocket scientist and builds rocket engines every day and he said he would come to church next week. So we are going to hold him to it. It was fantastic. Have a great week!

I hope you all have a great week. The Savior is amazing. He has made my mission possible. Without him, we are nothing!

I love you more than We need rain!

Love, Elder Black :)