Stephanie Meyer!!

Hey guys. So this week was amazing!!! We had another two baptisms on Saturday. It was so cool. So many people showed up. There were so many people that we had to have the service in the chapel and then cram everyone into the Relief Society room where the font was for the baptism. They are the daughters of a less-active family. It felt more like a post-poned child of record baptism, but it still counts as a convert baptism. So it goes on our numbers!! haha. But that wasn't even the amazing part of the week. The ********s, whom half of which were baptized two weeks ago, have still been having us over a lot. I really feel that this is the family that President Coombs said I was meant to teach when he set me apart. Anyways, the husband, was home for a couple of days, so we tried to teach him as many times as possible before he left again. One night, while I was teaching him (we were on splits, so Elder Weight was at another appointment), we had a really good lesson. After discussing the principles of the gospel, I was planning on discussing the Word of Wisdom, but he had a question. "So when can I be baptized?" I almost started to cry. I could tell that this was something he wanted for himself. He wasn't doing this because his wife was pushing him into it. He wants this because he wants what the gospel has to offer him. We immediately switched gears, we found out when he was going to be in town, and set a date for the 27th!! And he wanted to wait until October!!! He'll be in town this weekend as well, so we'll have the interview then, and then the following week he and the oldest son, (who is also just plain awesomeness), are going to be baptized. I am so happy for this family!!!

Everyone says that the Scottsdale zone doesn't baptize and has a hard time teaching because everyone here is loaded and don't need the gospel. As of right now, the Scottsdale zone is leading the mission with lessons taught and baptisms! The average number of baptisms for a zone in a month is about 20. Between my companion and I alone we will have 7!!! And the rest of our district is doing just as well!!! This area is Zion!!! Minor note: we had dinner with a certain family the other night. It took us about 45 minutes to drive there. They live in a gated city (note how I say "city" and not "community"). Within the gated city were multiple gated communities. The one in which they live in was literally on top of a mountain. They live in a multi-million dollar house. Have a 12 car garage. The husband is leaving for Germany just to hang out. While there, he is buying a new Porsche, of which model they are only making 918. They're family room's walls fold into themselves and the family room becomes an outdoor balcony over the edge of the mountain in which they live giving a view of the entire North Scottsdale valley. Now let me tell you how they afford all of this. The wife is Stephanie Meyer, the author of those stupid vampire books. She and her family live in our ward!!! I didn't even realize this until I saw multiple posters of each of the books hanging up with her signature on them. Then I made the connection. But apparently she's just as annoyed with the popularity of the books as a lot of people. She gets really sick of it I guess. She wasn't there when we had dinner though. She was in Europe for the filming of the last movie. So yeah, we have some pretty well off people in this area.

So the work is going great in sunny Arizona. Even president has been amazed at how well things are going. Thanks for all your guys' prayers. I think the Lord has been saving them up and has finally decided to cash them in. At the end of this month, the six weeks I have spent here will have doubled my baptisms that I have been a part of. So don't worry for me. I couldn't be better.

Happy Monday.

Hey sis. Things are going great. Well, there was no baptism on Saturday. They couldn't wait until then!!! We had it Tuesday. It was the coolest baptism ever!!! Transfers are this week, but both my companion and I are staying here. It will be pretty cool. He goes home at the end of this transfer, so I'll have first dibs on all his stuff that he's leaving behind.

That's way funny about the lady from Snowflake. That area actually is in our mission. My last companion is being sent up there this transfer. He's way excited because he's related to a lot of the people up there.

Tell the boys I said happy birthday!!! My mind has been so stressed lately that I forgot that it was their birthday this week. Did dad give you my presents for them? They're not much, just a couple of "growth charts", but I thought that they would have fun with them, and I didn't have any money for anything else. Anyways, love you guys so much!!!

Looking Up!

Well family, things are going a lot better for me now. We just had an amazing week. An entire family that we have been teaching just suddenly caught fire!!! (Not literally) We have met with them almost everyday for the past week, have gone to the visitor's center at the temple and a baptism with them, and they are totally excited to be baptized! We originally had a date with the mom and two of the four kids. The dad is out of town a lot and he takes the oldest boy with him, and the youngest kid is only six. The dad is really cool. He goes to different carnivals and such running a hot dog and hamburger stand, with the largest grill in the world!!! He's beat the Guiness World Record for largest grill, largest burger, and he plans on beating another one this summer. So he's out of town a lot, and thats why he's not getting baptized with the mom and two kids. He says work slows down around October, so we wanted to wait for the baptism for everyone until then. But the mom said that she couldn't wait!!! She is so cool, as well. She's already telling her friends all about the gospel and how much it's changed her. She's even been handing out gospel principles manuals!! Anyways, she didn't want to wait for her husband, so we set a date with her for the 13th. Saturday, when she came to some of the other missionaries baptism, she said that she didn't want to wait that long! So we moved everything up for this saturday. Then last night, she said that she wanted it on Tuesday so that her husband could be there. So the last few days have been crazy trying to set up this baptism for the mom and two of the kids that have come out of nowhere!!! While we were deciding who was going to be baptizing who, the nine year old, comes up to me and says "I claim Elder Denison!! He's baptizing me!!!" It was so awesome and made me feel so cool.

It's so exciting, because I know this family is going to the temple. And if I just cowboy up and work hard out here so that I don't let myself come home, I'll be able to go to the temple with them just before I come home. That will be awesome. So I don't remember if I told you last week or not, but president told me that I'm staying in this area at least until official transfers in a week. I really hope that I stay here for a while though, so that I can see the rest of the family baptized. And so much else is happening in this area. It's in the northern desert over Scottsdale, so only rich people live here. But it's been amazing how many of them are open to the gospel. It's awesome!!! So that's my story for the week. I love you all so much, and I hope to hear form you all soon. (Chad send me that package!!!! haha, jk love ya dude!)