Elder Casper 12/18/2007

Family-

Hey just to get things cleared up, I am going to call on Tuesday at 6:30 my time so that I can talk with laur also. The number is 56072821520 and I will be waiting Tuesday at 6:30 my time and 2:30 your time. I'm super excited to talk to you all and my emotiones are running in this wonderful time of year. What a treasure it is to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Well also to answer one of your questiones...yes I did open all of my presents other than the one that said, "open christmas day". Thanks for the presents and I will open the other one before we talk next week.

Well we had a good week, we were able to find 5 new investigatores and we had 2 in church. We also had a baptism this week and there was a cool story to what happened with Cesar who got baptised. Well he met his girlfriend who is a member in September and then he started recieving the missionaries. Well when he accepted to be baptised he asked his parents if they were going to support him, and they said no, and that they wouldnt go to his baptism or anything. Well during priesthood meeting on Sunday the door opened and two guys walked in, and they both looked a lot like Cesar and it turns out that it was his dad and brother. After church he introduced us to his mom and he was shocked that they made an appearance at his baptism. The baptism was amazing, the spirit was possibly the strongest that I have felt in a baptism and at the end he bore his testimony and expressed his gratitud for the unexpected appearance of his family at his baptism. He then told his parents that the decision he made to be baptised wasn't to hurt them, but to become a better person and to help his family to have more union and love in their home. The parents were very emotional and after the baptism his mom came up to Elder Martinez and I and said "today was a casuality that i am here, but next Sunday I will be here also." She said the spirit touched her very powerfully and that she felt very good in the church. It truly is amazing how the Lord works, it was a great experience.

My sector and zone are good. I am back in the south as I said and the mission work is down. The missionaries don't have much faith and tend to lose faith each week. We are doing well Elder Martinez and I, he is so funny and we have so much fun together. We lost our other baptismal date this week but we have some great plans for this coming week with our new investigators and we hope to have dates for 2 families here soon.

Yesterday we had the mission Christmas activity and it was an absolute blast. We had a sports day as a mission and we played, dodgeball, basketball, soccer, 4 square, football and frisby...it was way fun and I truly enjoyed the day. President and Hermana Resek are so awesome and they are so fun to be around. Don't worry, in dodge ball I totally took president out like 4 times. It was so fun but he is possibly the best ping pong player I have ever seen...he destroyed me.

Well it was a great week and I can't believe that christmas is next week. Well I want to wish all a Merry Christmas; Nana, Papa, Grams, Phil and Janet, Grandma Yvonne, all the aunts and uncles and cousins. I hope you all enjoy this wonderful season and holiday and remember the birth of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. I hope that you all have a great holiday and that we can all remember the true meaning of Christmas. The gifts are great and the time with the family but there is no greater gift than the birth of Christ and later, in his earthly ministry the atonement that he fulfilled. I love our Savior, i know he lives and that he loves us. I know that through him and his atonement we can all be forgiven of our sins and return to the presence of our loving Heavenly Father. I pray that we all may enjoy this wonderful day and that we may always remember the true meaning of Christmas.

I love you all so much, much more than you can comprehend and Iam sorry for the lack of communication that I have had with you over the past year or so. Please be understanding and know that your all in my thoughts and prayers, always, and especially in this season of year.
I love you all and cant wait to hear from you and see you next year at this time.

Mom and Dad, Tuesday at 6:30 my time so that we can all talk as a family, the number is at the start of the email. Once again and I will be talking to you next week. wooohooooo!

1-4-3-4,

Elder Mason N. Casper