USA!USA!USA!

So anyway that Family reunion looked like a absolute blast and I am actually pretty jealous. We´ll have to do it again in a couple of years. Im also glad to see how fun it is to go to a nice clean beach when it is really hot and all that fun jazz. Because this past week has been the coldest yet, it was a little bit odd to celebrate the fourth of july in the middle of winter, but it still got pretty patriotic in la casa. Also recently thanks to Elder Patterson (KJ) and our constant exchange of That thing you do quotes, I have seen a connection between this epic classic and the missionary life. Por ejemplo:

When you comp leaves the lights on downstairs and you are all in bed, ¨Let her burn, let her burn, let her burn all night. Bring me down here in the dog-gone middle of the night to turn off the lights, cant he get anything right?!¨

Or when a missionary gets called to DL, ¨You mean you´re going to start paying me?? I didnt say that!¨

Or when you see someone that looks like a golden investigator, ¨hey go talk to them, you can eat a burger anyday!¨

Hahaha yeah, its been cracking me up lately, I´ll let you know when I realize some more:) #Oneders

Fa, but we had another awesome week! Iris and Leo have been doing very well, they both found jobs the week after they started investigating the church, and so they are very gratefully busy. They have been blessed so much for their efforts, its amazing. We are going with them Wednesday back to downtown Deo for the wedding! Martinez and I are both preparing ourselves mentally so that it isnt too much of a blow for us to see the happiness of everyone getting married and just enjoy the moment. Then on Saturday is the baptism! We are so pumped for them and it has been amazing to see them come so far in such a short time. I cant believe how quickly we have come to this point, and at church yesturday they were both just very excited for everything.

What has absolutely blown my mind is how much the area has changed just because of the nieghborhood that used to be closed. It has exploded and we have started to teach five or six people and they are all geniunely interested and recieving the lessons very well. We have gone in with a couple of members that are really helping us out, and they have really connected with these people and it has just been really a testimony-builder to me to see the importance of the members because they have similar life styles and experiences, but really testify with power. Its really is amazing.

I also went on divisions this week with one of our ZLs Elder Caires Franca from Brazil. It was pretty fun talking with him because Portugues is his first language, and he had to learn spanish in the mission, so its is kinda a goofy sounding spanish, but he works like a boss. I really learned a lot from him about how to teach better, which is really something that I have been working on a lot lately, and it is great to see the difference.

We also went to the temple with the ward on Saturday, and there is really no where else in the world like the temple. We worked in the baptistry for a couple of hours, and I was able to perform comfirmations, and it was really an amazing experience. I love the temple so much. No joke.

Well folks, I love you guys like crazy, and love to hear that you are all doing well!! (Even though Matt and Josh think they look big, its just because they are wearing my swim trunks. Enjoy it while you can boys, this guy aint any smaller)

Con todo mi amor,

Elder Degn

USA, USA, USA!!